Priorities
by jrchandlerfan1
Summary: When Sam is taken to prison and Monica gets into a bad car accident, Jason is sent out of town to care for issues with Sonny's business. It's up to Alexis and Julian to care for their confused and lonely grandchildren. As Diane helps Alexis work on getting her daughter paroled, Sam must re-evaluate her lifestyle choices. Very pro-Julexis, anti-Jasam. A little Samlexis mixed in
1. Chapter 1

**Priorities**

Alexis paced backed and forth in the PCPD, the edge of her heels digging into the blisters forming on her ankles. Phone pressed tightly to her ear, she pushed her dry tongue to the top of her mouth.

"I am doing everything I can from my end, Alexis. It's not going to be easy, but we will free Sam," Diane's muffled voice said. "Try not to worry, dear."

Alexis laughed. "Easier said than done."

"Go home. There's not much more we can do until tomorrow."

She slipped her cell into her purse and whipped her head around.

"Carly… calm down," Jason muttered into his phone.

Alexis rolled her eyes.

"Donna's what? Where's Sonny? Okay… Okay… I'll be right there."

He'll _what_?

He lowered his phone. "Can you go check on the kids? Carly needs help with Donna."

She shook her head and glowered at him. "I'm sorry… _what_?"

"Sonny is with Dev."

"And that is your problem, because?"

He sighed. "Spinelli is doing all he can, I'll touch base with him tomorrow."

"Okay. But your son needs you."

"He's at Monica's. Can you tell him that his mom is working so he doesn't worry?'

"I guess so."

Alexis scooted awkwardly on the couch. The red and white curtains, the bookshelves with all the little antiques (were they collected by Edward or Lila? Or perhaps they were Monica's) and the smells of a pot roast coming from the kitchen reminded her of her Dobson days. Oh, the lengths she would go through to be with her children. If only she could pose as a guard so she could be with Sam in Pentonville. She squinted. Perhaps that's an idea.

"Grandma!" Scout ran into the living room and dove into Alexis' arms. Danny sauntered in behind her.

"Hi, cookie!" She squeezed her in her arms and kissed her honey-smelling hair.

"We took Annabelle the second to the park today." She nestled into Alexis' side. "Danny showed me how to shake a paw!"

"That sounds wonderful." She stroked her long, golden hair. "Hi Danny."

"Hi, Grandma." He slumped on the edge of the couch, gaze lowered to the floor.

Alexis' chest felt heavy as she looked at her grandson.

"Where's Mommy?" Scout asked in a small voice, playing with Alexis' bracelet.

Alexis swallowed hard and met Scout's brown eyes. Sam's eyes. "Mommy has something to do for work."

Scout frowned. "Mommy works a lot."

"But she can't wait to take you and Danny for ice cream as soon as she can."

She smiled widely.

"Scout, why don't you go check on Annabelle the second? I bet she'd love a tummy rub."

"Yeah! I love you, Grandma!"

"I love you too, Cookie."

Scout's long, golden hair flowed behind her as she strolled out of the room.

Alexis slid closer to Danny. "Hey, buddy. Your mom really misses you, and will be home as soon as she ca—"

"I heard Grandma Monica talking to Olivia. Is Mom really in jail?"

Her heart skipped and her hand instinctively reached for Danny's. "I suppose you're old enough to know the truth. She is. But you have to understand that what she did was to protect your dad and she doesn't belong there. We're going to get her out and she'll be home with you soon."

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter… I mean, I don't want her in jail, but…"

"But what?"

"We don't see her much anymore anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"It's just since my dad came back… my real dad… you know I was really excited at first, but now Mom is always sending us here. Like all the time. It's been three weeks since we last saw her. And Dad doesn't come by much either."

"Oh, Danny, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"I miss my other dad. He was so much fun."

Alexis kicked her laptop from the coffee table, and it fell with a loud clunk to the floor. She lifted one of the white cushions and threw it against the wall just as there was a knock at the door.

She groaned. She didn't want company. All she wanted was a solution. She needed to get her daughter out of prison, and she couldn't get images of Sam sitting alone in a jail cell, or worse, with a terrible cell mate.

It was Julian standing on her porch. The whites of his eyes wide, and out of breath. Then, the tears that stung at her eyes all day, finally broke free. Before she could, he wrapped his arms around her. She knew it wasn't in a romantic way for either of them. It was gentle and comforting. One parent hugging the other. They needed each other. Sam needed them.

"We'll get her out," he said barely above a whisper, not letting go of the embrace.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Hi Monica, how were the kids last night?" Alexis held her phone to her ear and poured some coffee with her free hand. She needed that cup after only two hours of sleep.

"Scout keeps asking when she'll see her mom again. And Danny has been really quiet. He didn't even want to play with Annabelle the second last night."

Alexis sighed heavily. "Danny told me that he overheard you and Olivia talking yesterday. He knows about Sam."

"Oh no… I should have been more careful."

"It's okay, if he didn't hear from you, he'd hear it somewhere else. Have you heard from Jason?"

"He called last night. Sonny is sending him out of town for business. He wouldn't give any details. He just asked if I could keep the kids a little longer."

Alexis placed her palm on her forehead, then began to massage her temples. "I'm sorry, I know he's your son… but what is wrong with him? Danny needs him and I thought he was going to help free Sam."

"Trust me, I've been questioning his priorities since the accident. But I've learned the hard way to stay out of it. At least he spends some time with Danny, he doesn't make much effort with Jake."

Alexis groaned. "Okay. Well, I want to help with the kids. I would love for them to stay with me. However, I think they need some consistency and Danny said they've been with you for three weeks now. Do you mind having them stay with you?"

"Of course, I love having them."

"Thank you. But I still want to help. I'm going to visit Sam this afternoon. Would it be okay if I dropped by after to take Scout and go to pick up Danny from school? I can take them to the park and give them dinner. Then I'll bring them back to your place after."

"They'd love that."

Alexis shifted awkwardly in the chair and tapped her mauve fingernails against the square table. The room was tiny, and Alexis wiped the sweat from her brow. The door finally opened, and Sam walked in with the guard.

"You have twenty minutes," the guard muttered and shut the door.

Alexis jumped up and hugged Sam. "Oh sweetie. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah…" Sam said, her puffy red eyes staring ahead at the green and white bricks on the wall.

Alexis squeezed Sam's arms, then ran her fingers through her disheveled black hair. "Talk to me."

They sat at the table and Alexis pulled her chair closer to Sam's. "Please talk to me. Do you have your own cell, or do you have a roommate?"

Sam swallowed and began to fidget with her fingers. "A roommate."

"And what is she like?"

Sam stared at her lap. "Is Jason trying to get me out? When is he coming?"

"Well, he… he has Spinelli working on it. He's trying to figure out how we can use Bryce. Diane and I are meeting with his lawyer on Friday to find out if he disclosed anything to him."

"Okay."

"Listen to me, baby." Alexis lifted Sam's chin. "We're going to figure this out. You don't belong in here we just have to prove it."

"I don't know."

Alexis scrunched her face. "You don't know what?"

Tears trickled down her cheeks and she softly said, "Maybe I do belong in here."

Alexis' heart sank and she squeezed Sam's hand. "Honey, why would you say that? It was self-defense, anyone would have done the same."

Sam bit her lip.

"You _don't_ belong in here. Besides, your children miss you. They need you. If not for yourself, then fight to be with Danny and Scout."

After leaving Kelly's, Scout held Alexis' and Danny's hands as they walked, swinging their arms cheerfully.

Scout grinned. "I love chocolate ice cream!"

"Just like your mom and aunts," Alexis said. "I hope I didn't get you too much."

"It was the bestest most awesomest ice cream ever, Grandma!"

Danny sighed. "Even a little sugar makes her really hyper."

Alexis laughed. "I see that."

Scout let go of their hands and skipped ahead of them.

"Stay where I can see you!" She turned to Danny. "Are you ready for your swim meet on Saturday?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I don't really want to go."

"Why not? Your coach says you're getting really good. Just like your mom."

Scout scurried down the steps giggling.

"Don't get too close to the wat—"

"Grandpa!"

Julian was standing at the edge of the docks and whipped around. He scooped Scout up in his arms. "Hi there, princess! I didn't know you guys would be here."

Alexis and Danny joined them on the docks. Danny's eyes lit up and he ran over to hug him. "Hi Grandpa."

"Hey, Danny. Having a fun outing with your grandma?" He looked up at Alexis and smiled.

Alexis smiled back and she felt her cheeks turn pink.

"Uh huh."

"I hear you have another swim meet this weekend. I'm sure you'll win, but if someone challenges you, give them a little pounding. Pow-wow!"

Alexis hit his arm. "Julian!"

Scout giggled. "You're funny, Grandpa."

"I'm just joking. It's not all about winning… though it's a big part of it." He winked at Danny.

Alexis rolled her eyes.

Danny frowned. "I don't think I'm gonna go. I'm having trouble with my backstroke. Mom was going to help me."

Alexis felt her eyes well with tears and Scout leaned her head on Julian's shoulder, her face sullen.

"Well, I'm not claiming to be as good as your mom, she is a mighty swimmer. But maybe I can help."

Danny smiled. "Really?"

"Yeah. Are you still at your Grandma Monica's?"

Danny nodded.

"I'll drop by after school tomorrow. I can visit with Leo too. They have an indoor pool, right?"

"Yeah! Indoor and outdoor."

"Great." He turned to Alexis. "Maybe your grandma and Scout can watch."

Alexis chewed her upper lip trying to hide her smile. Maybe having a male figure around would be good for Danny… and Alexis too.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi everyone! I had completely forgotten that won't show asterisks, so I apologize for no page breakers in the first two chapters! (it's very odd that they don't show)

Thank you for the reviews. I wish I could respond to the guests. I agree with the guest who mentioned about more and more grandparents having to raise their grandchildren today. Even the parents who do "raise them" don't seem to have enough time for them, which is really sad.

And to the guest who is conflicted on whether Sam deserves to be there or not, the funny thing about Sam purposely putting herself in danger and shunting her kids to the side is that it's total opposite from the epidemic in 2006 when Alexis chose to keep the antidote for herself instead of giving it to Danny. The reason Alexis did that was FOR Kristina and Molly so they wouldn't have to grow up without a mother. Don't get me wrong, at the time it was understandable why Sam was upset with her, but the writers made Alexis look like a witch for doing it. Yeah Alexis isn't perfect, but she has always put her daughters first. And sadly, Sam has not been doing that. Yet to this day the writers make it out that Alexis was a bad mother who tried to micromanage her daughters' lives.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the next chapter!

**Chapter 3**

"Diane, I'm worried." Alexis paced back and forth on the Quartermaine grounds. "Bryce's lawyer didn't give us anything."

"I just spoke to Jason. Spinelli is going over that voice tape again. He thinks he'll be able to find proof it's a fake."

"He better. I'm afraid that might be our last hope."

"Jason's also going to get in to see Ryan Chamberlain, if he can. He thinks maybe Bryce disclosed the name to Ryan."

"I never thought of that. Okay, so at least there's a few more options."

Alexis tucked her phone away and made her way back into the indoor pool area.

"Grandma, come join us!" Scout's unicorn arm floaties held her above the water in the shallow end and she kicked her feet as she circled around Leo as he did a handstand.

Alexis leaned back in a lawn chair, a few feet from the pool, and smiled. "Sorry, cookie. Grandma's not a very good swimmer."

Julian stood next to Danny who floated on his back near the end of the pool. "Relax your neck, Danny. It's too tense."

Alexis gulped. Was Julian's chest and arms more buff than when she last saw him shirtless? She shook her head. She couldn't go there, not again.

"Ready, set, go!" Julian pressed on the stopwatch as Danny kicked hard and propelled his arms backwards as fast as a wheel. He reached the other end in a matter of seconds.

Julian patted his back. "Much better!"

Alexis clapped. "Way to go Danny!"

Danny smiled, panting.

"Well, I think that's enough practice for today." Julian leaned closer to Danny and whispered something in his ear.

Danny started giggling. Alexis squinted as they swam over to Leo and Scout, whispering to them next.

"What are you whispering about?" Alexis asked, raising her eyebrow.

Julian lifted Scout onto the deck and followed Danny and Leo as they piled out of the pool. They walked in front of Alexis, laughing, before all four of them canon balled right in front of her. The cold water splashed against her face. She glared at Julian, then began to laugh along with them.

GHGHGH

"Come on, Danny! Keep going, keep going!" Julian ran along the edge of the pool as Danny backstroked, head to head with another boy. Alexis clapped and cheered from the end of the pool, Scout, Monica, Kristina, and Molly at her side.

"Go Danny! Woot woot!" Kristina and Molly cheered.

"You're almost there! Almost there!" Julian reached the end, fist-pumping the air.

Danny flipped to his stomach right at the end and reached out touching the wall less than a second before the other boy.

"Yay Danny!"

Julian pulled him out of the pool and lifted him onto his shoulder. "That's my grandson!"

Danny pulled off his goggles and lifted his arms in the air. The referee placed a medallion around his neck.

Alexis pulled out her phone. "This is a picture-perfect moment. Smile for the camera!"

GHGHGH

It had only been a week since Sam was taken to Pentonville, but she looked worse. Dark circles surrounded her puffy eyes. She looked pale, her hair unkempt and greasy. She walked into the room unsteadily.

"Sam?" Alexis took her arm and helped her sit then sat across from her. "What's going on? Are you feeling all right?"

"Yeah. Don't worry."

"Too late for that. Are you sleeping okay?"

She shrugged. "Not really."

"Eating? Drinking enough?"

She stared at the table, not meeting Alexis' eyes.

Alexis sighed. "I'm sure they don't serve gourmet meals, but you need to keep up your strength." She cleared her throat. "On a lighter note, Danny had his swim meet on the weekend. He did amazing and came in first place."

Sam looked up at her and smiled slightly. "He did?"

"Yeah, he worked so hard on his backstroke this week… Sam?"

Sam buried her face in her hands and started to cry.

"Oh honey, we don't have to talk about the swimming if it's going to upset you."

She shook her head and pushed her tears away with the back of her hand. "I want to… it's just… I told Danny months ago I'd help him with the backstroke."

Alexis frowned and reached over to tuck Sam's hair behind her ear. "There will be lots of other swim meets you can help him prepare for."

"I guess… so he really won?"

"He was so excited." She pulled out a photo from her purse and handed it to Sam. "Look at the smile on his face."

Sam started to smile but it quickly turned to a frown. "What is Julian doing with him?"

Alexis jerked back a bit. "Well he helped him with his backstroke this week. He went to the meet to cheer him on."

She dropped the photo on the table. "I don't want him near my children."

"But I thought you were starting to get along with your father again. Besides, Danny was really down this week and Julian helped him a lot."

She stood up a little shakily. "No and if you're just going to bring him around, then you can stay away from my kids too."

Alexis' eyes grew wide. "Sam…"

"It's either Julian or my kids."

"Okay, I will keep them away from Julian."

Sam walked over to the door and knocked on it. "Guard, we're finished."

Alexis walked over to her and kissed her cheek. "I will be back." She walked over to the door and glanced back. Sam was looking down at the picture on the table and Alexis walked away, more worried than before.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello everyone, thank you for the reviews. To the guest, I'm glad you're enjoying the story! And yes, Julian is looking really good lately (well I guess he always does lol).

So, I'm making Jake 14 in this story. I think that makes most sense since Cam is 16 and Danny looks like he's 12 now. I know Jake's supposed to be five years older than Danny and three years younger than Cam, but with Danny Soras'd he's got to be in between. Hopefully they'll age him soon, so it makes somewhat more sense. But anyway, love Jake but he's not even a bit part of the story, so moving on lol.

A little bit of Halloween fun after the emotional stuff. Enjoy!

**Chapter 4**

Alexis stared at her computer screen. She had many clients whose cases she just couldn't focus on. Her mind was on Sam's case and she didn't even want her mother to defend her case. But that didn't matter, what mattered was getting Sam out of Pentonville and Diane was a really good lawyer and she'd help her in any way that she could.

She knew it broke Julian's heart when she told him Sam's wishes, but he took it in stride. He offered to go see her in prison hoping it would help, besides he missed her. But Alexis thought it would do more harm than good. He kept positive and said she would come around eventually.

_Ding_. _Ding_.

The phone lit up and her eyes grew wide. Port Charles Elementary?

"Hello? Alexis Davis."

"Hello, Ms. Davis. This is Principal Schultz from your grandson's school. I couldn't get a hold of his father or other grandmother."

"Is Danny okay?"

"I'm afraid we're going to have to suspend him for beating up another student."

The phone almost slipped from Alexis' grip. "What? What happened?"

"Can you come to the school right away? We can discuss it here. Then he'll need to be taken home."

GHGHGH

Danny sat on a chair outside the principal's office. He stared down at his lap and swung his legs back and forth.

Alexis kneeled in front of him and squeezed his hand. "Danny, please tell me what happened."

"Doesn't matter."

"Of course, it matters. This isn't like you. I'd like you to tell me before I speak to your principal."

His lip started to tremble, his eyes welling with tears. "Emmett was saying mean lies about Mom. Said she's a con artist and a murderer."

"What? How would he even…"

"He read it in the newspaper. But it's not true." He sat up straighter. "Tell me it's not true!"

Alexis opened her mouth, then closed it. She never expected to have this kind of conversation with her sweet grandson. She opened her mouth again, until Principal Schultz broke the silence. "Ms. Davis, please come in."

"I—I need to finish talking to my grandson first."

Danny broke eye contact with her. "It's okay, Grandma. Go."

Alexis slowly rose to her feet and followed the principal into his office.

"Please, take a seat." He sat behind his desk and Alexis sat in front of him. "Young Daniel's teacher had to pull him off another student during break. We're unsure of what happened prior as neither student will tell us. But Daniel tackled the student and punched him in the face several times. Miss Stone had to run across the field to stop him."

"He was defending his mom," Alexis said. "He just told me that the other child was saying mean things about her."

"I can see how that would provoke him. We'll try to talk to the other student again, but we still can't excuse Daniel's actions."

Alexis nodded. "I know. I wish he would use his words instead. But I understand where he's coming from."

"We'll still have to suspend him. Two weeks should be sufficient. But his teacher has been really concerned about him. He used to do so well in his academics up until last year when his marks started to drop. She's worried that it's an unsteady homelife that has been causing the changes in his behaviours and studies."

GHGHGH

Alexis dropped her purse on the couch when she arrived home with Danny.

"I'm going to the playroom," Danny said.

"No, Danny. We need to talk." She sat down and patted the seat beside her.

"No, we don't. I saw it in your eyes. What Emmett said is true."

"Danny, sit."

He slowly sat down.

"Okay first of all, I understand why you did that today, to defend your mom. However, I wish you'd use your words instead hurting people."

"That's not what Mom and Dad do," Danny muttered.

Alexis sighed. "Sometimes words are stronger than actions. What that boy said really hurt you, which is proof that words are strong."

"I guess."

"Now, we to talk about your mom."

He shifted feet and stared at the floor.

"She loves you and your sister more than anything."

"Doesn't feel like it anymore."

"She prayed for you for years. She was told she couldn't have children. You and Scout are her miracle babies."

"But she's a con artist and a murderer?"

Alexis closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "She killed a man, but it was only because he was trying to kill your dad. It was to protect him. As for the conning, that was a long time ago. She's changed."

"But why does everyone always leave? Patrick and Emma left us, my other dad left, Mom left, now Grandpa is too busy."

Alexis wrapped her arm around him and kissed the top of his head. "Would you like to go see your mom? I think it might help you."

"I don't know… do you think she wants to see me?"

"I do. I think it would mean the world to her."

"Okay. I want to then."

GHGHGH

"Hey Danny!" Jake, in his Iron Man costume, gave Danny a homie handshake when he walked into Alexis' house with Elizabeth, dressed as Captain Marvel, and Aiden as Spiderman.

Danny grinned in his Captain America get-up. "Hey Jake."

Aiden whizzed around the living room pretending to shoot webs on the walls.

Scout sat on the couch in her Cinderella costume fluffing her blue dress.

"Thanks for going trick-or-treating with us." Alexis smiled. "Monica agreed I could take them, and I thought it'd be great for Danny to spend time with Jake."

"No problem. Jake was planning to hang out with Cam and Josslyn tonight but when he heard he could see Danny he wanted to come after all."

"Where's your costume?" Aiden stopped moving around the room and looked up at Alexis.

"Oh, I didn't get a costume."

"Just like Cam," Aiden said.

The streets were lined with anxious children, mostly in princess and superhero costumes with a few ghosts and skeletons along the way. The boys were insistent on stopping at every house to be sure they didn't miss any candy along the way and Scout curtsied for every candy-giver while everyone else said, "Trick-or-treat!".

A little boy with a bulky green outfit and a painted green face ran over. "Danny! Scout! Do you like my Hulk costume?"

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "Leo?"

Running up behind him was Julian dressed as Thor. Alexis blushed and chuckled at the hammer he held.

"Leo, I told you not to run too far ahead of me."

"Sorry, Daddy." He started to show the other kids his candy.

Danny smiled a little. "Hi Grandpa."

Scout ran over and hugged his legs. "Grandpa! We got candy!

He looked over at Alexis with an unsure look in his eye. "I see that."

Alexis' heart sped. She knew she had to stick to Sam's wishes. "We should get you home to your Grandma Monica's."

"Can't we go with Grandpa?" Danny asked.

"We are going to the same place," Julian said. "Have to get Leo home to Olivia."

"Please, Grandma?" Danny pleaded.

"Pretty please with lots of chocolate on top?" Scout stuck out her lower lip the way Kristina used to.

"Oh, all right, we can walk together."

"Jake, Aiden," Elizabeth said. "We should get home too. We're just around the corner."

"Okay, see you, Danny." Jake waved as he left with his mom and brother.

Scout fell asleep in Julian's arms and Danny and Leo walked a little ahead of them. "Looks like they had fun."

Alexis nodded. "They did. It's just too bad Sam couldn't be there."

They reached the steps and the boys ran inside.

"I had a lot of fun tonight," Julian said. "Well, the walk home that is."

Alexis smiled. "I'm glad the kids got to see you."

"Well, I'm glad I got to see _you_." He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "I've missed you."

"I've… we can't, Julian. Those days are long gone." She took the sleeping Scout from his arms. "Goodnight, Julian." She carried Scout inside, her heart strings pulling at her.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you everyone for the reviews!

And to the guests, yes that's my intention by saying it's been a year when Drew left Danny's life and when Sam started losing herself for Jason again. Glad you enjoyed the Halloween stuff. And to the second guest, wow lol, that's funny that there was a Hulk add on the page lol!

So the past few chapters and most of this is focused on Danny, and Sam too. But at the end and the next chapter will focus more on Scout. Hope you guys enjoy!

**Chapter 5**

Danny fidgeted his fingers as he sat at the little square table waiting to see Sam. Molly sat beside him and looked up at Alexis. Molly had been wanting to see her sister and Alexis thought it'd be a good time to go with Danny so she could take him to the car to give Alexis some time with Sam afterwards.

Sam trudged into the room, thin and boney, her tangled hair in a knot. Alexis gasped a little and placed her hand over her mouth. Sam was dropping weight fast and she'd only been in there a month now.

Molly's eyes were wide, but she smiled. "Hi Sam."

"Danny?" Sam started to cry and hugged him. She sat beside him and held her hand against his cheek.

Danny smiled slightly but his face was tense.

"How are you, Sam?" Molly asked, reaching for Sam's free hand and squeezed it. "We miss you so much."

Sam kept smiling at Danny and stroked his hair. "I'm okay."

Alexis cleared her throat. "Danny, why don't you give your mom Scout's drawing?"

Danny seemed to pull out of a trance and handed the drawing to Sam.

"Wow, this is so nice," Sam said. "Is that you, me, Scout, and your dad? Who's the other person?"

"No, not my dad," Danny finally spoke. "Scout's dad and the other person is Oscar. She says she wants us to go to Heaven with her so we can see them."

Sam frowned and stared at the picture. "Oh."

Alexis wiped a tear away from her eye using her thumb.

"I heard you won at your swim meet," Sam said. "I'm so proud of you."

Danny started to blush. "Yeah and I got a medal! Grandpa helped me with my backstroke."

More tears spilled down Sam's face. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."

He looked down at his lap.

"But Daddy came to see this morning," Sam said. "And he's going to rescue me from this place."

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "Jason came by?"

Sam nodded. "He's very worried about me, but we'll be together again…" She squeezed Danny's hand. "As a family."

"But Sam, visiting hours aren't until one o'cl—"

Alexis hit Molly's arm softly, cutting her off. "Molly, why don't you take Danny to the car. I'd like to talk to Sam before we leave."

Molly nodded and hugged Sam. "I love you. We all do. Stay strong."

Sam hugged Danny and cupped his face in her hands. "You look so much like Jason."

"I… I love you, Mom," Danny said in a small voice and followed Molly out of the room.

Alexis took Molly's seat across from Sam and folded her hands, looking at Sam intently. "Sam, I'm going to have to bring out the tough love. Why are you not eating?"

Sam stared at Scout's drawing.

"Yes, look at your little girl's drawing." Alexis pointed to the Drew and Oscar figures. "Her father and her other brother are gone. And she doesn't understand why her mommy isn't around. She and Danny need you. Now start acting like their mother and stop starving yourself! You're going to make yourself sick. You need your strength to get home to them."

"But Jason is going to save me," she mumbled.

Alexis sighed. "Are you sure he came to see you this morning? Because he's been out of town for a month now and unless he broke in, visiting hours aren't until one."

The door opened and the guard walked in. "Time's up, ladies."

Alexis looked up at her. "Listen, I need you to make sure she eats something."

"I can't do that," the guard said. "We're not allowed to force-feed the prisoners."

Alexis gaped at her. "But she needs to eat."

"Mom?"

She turned to Sam. "What, honey?"

"When's the wedding?"

"What wedding?"

"Yours and dad's. I hope Jason saves me before then."

GHGHGH

Alexis could barely hold the steering wheel, her hands were so jittery. Her heart pounded against her chest. Her daughter was starving herself and possibly hallucinating and there was nothing she could do about it.

After Danny fell asleep in the back, Molly turned to Alexis. "What's going on with Sam? She's so thin and acted so odd."

"She's starving herself."

"But why?"

"Well, I think she's depressed but I don't know for sure. I'm going to talk to Diane and see if I can work around the system so I can step in as Sam's next of kin since she's not in her right frame of mind right now so we can force her to eat."

_Ding. Ding._

Alexis' phone rang from her purse.

"Mol, can you answer that?"

Molly reached in Alexis' purse and pressed the phone to her ear. "Hello? Julian?" She rolled her eyes, but then gasped. "_What_? Is Scout okay?"

Alexis' eyes grew wide and turned to Molly, but then glanced back at the road again.

"Oh my gosh. We'll be right there." She hung up. "Monica and Scout were in a car crash."

"_What_?"

"It was a side collision. They're at GH."

Alexis made a U-turn and sped up. "Are they all right?"

"He didn't say, just to get there right away."

Alexis stopped in the loading zone in front of the hospital. "Take Danny to my place. Please stay with him tonight."

"Of course!" Molly climbed into the driver's seat. "Keep me posted."

Alexis ran into the ER and Elizabeth led her to a room behind a curtain. Scout was huddled on the floor screaming, Finn and Julian kneeling beside her.


	6. Chapter 6

Hi everyone, thank you for sticking with this story. Sam's storyline on the show has been annoying the heck out of me this week. Danny's all accepting and understanding of the situation and being sent to Monica's for a week again? I'm sorry GH, but I think Danny in my story is more realistic and I don't edit fanfics in great detail lol. And now Sam says she doesn't want to be away from Danny and Scout any longer? You've been sending them away since you reunited with Jason and while in the moment it might have been self-defense, your actions and choices led you to that moment. I want the Sam before Jason returned back (with a little less judgmental-ness), or better, go back and fix what went wrong in 2006. UGH. Sorry, rant over lol.

I might post another chapter this weekend, though I'm planning to focus on my other writing (non-fanfiction) for the next couple days, but we'll see how my muse goes. I've had a few people ask for more updates for Decay and I didn't realize I hadn't posted more chapters on this site, only on Nancyfan. It's been a couple years, but I'll post the rest of what I had written back then to hold you guys over. I started that story eight years ago… where has the time gone? I'd like to think my writing has improved since then, but like I said above I don't edit fanfics in great detail because I see it as just for fun (and wow I had quite the run-on sentence in ch 5 of Priorities! Lol).

So, half of this chapter is focused on Scout and the other half on Sam. It's longer than the previous chapters. For Sam fans reading this, please don't hate me, because I don't hate Sam. I'm still a Samlexis fan first, I just hate what they've done and haven't done with Sam's character. I believe she needs to hit rock bottom, face the consequences of her actions (including the things that were glossed over in the past), then grow up from there with Alexis' guidance.

And thank you to the guest again. I think all this is true to Sam's character too.

Anyway, enjoy! 

**Chapter 6**

Scout sat in a fetal position, screaming and wailing as Finn and Julian tried talking to her. Alexis dropped her purse on the hospital bed.

"Scout, I just need to check you over," Finn said. "I'm a doctor, I won't hurt you."

Julian rose to his feet and squeezed Alexis' arm.

"_What happened_?" Alexis scream-whispered to him.

"The other driver was high on drugs. Crashed right into the driver's side. Luckily Scout was on the back-right side. I was driving by and saw it happen. I pulled Scout from the car. She seems fine physically but won't let Finn check her over."

"And Monica?"

He sighed. "She's slipped into a coma. Ned is with her right now."

Alexis gasped and looked down at Scout.

Finn gently touched Scout's arm, but she flinched back. "_No_! _No_! _No_!"

"Okay." Alexis moved around Julian and knelt in front of Scout. "Cookie, everything's okay now, Grandma's here."

Scout slowly lifted her head. Face pale and the whites of her eyes wide. She crawled forward and clung to Alexis, crying into her chest.

Alexis rubbed small circles on her back and kissed the top of her head. "It's okay, Cookie. Grandma loves you."

"Alexis, I need to examine her," Finn said.

Scout clung on tighter and Alexis shook her head at Finn.

"Hey, Cookie, do you remember Jake and Aiden's mommy from Trick-or-Treating? She's a nurse and wants to make sure you don't have any boo-boos from tonight. Would that be okay with you if she comes to see us?"

Scout nodded slightly.

"Okay, maybe Dr. Finn can go get her for us."

Finn smiled slightly and left through the curtain.

Julian sat on the edge of the bed as Alexis continued to hold Scout.

"That was pretty scary tonight, huh?" Alexis said, stroking Scout's hair.

"But you're a brave little girl, Scout," Julian said.

The curtains parted and Elizabeth walked in. "Hi Scout." She bent over next to Alexis and Scout. "Do you remember me? Those were really great curtsies you did on Halloween. You made a pretty Cinderella."

Scout looked up at her, still holding onto Alexis.

"I'm going to check on Monica," Julian said. "I'll let you girls talk."

After Julian left Elizabeth said, "Scout, would you mind sitting on the bed with your grandma?"

Scout's eyes moved to Alexis.

"It's okay, Cookie." Alexis lifted her up and sat on the bed with Scout in her lap.

"Okay Scout, can you lift your arms for me, like this." Elizabeth lifted her arms above her head and Scout did the same. "Good, good. Now can you move your legs out in front of you?"

After a while, Julian returned. "Everything okay?"

"She's fine, just a little traumatized," Elizabeth said. "I think you should take her home. I'd recommend some art or play therapy."

"Thanks, Elizabeth," Alexis said.

Julian patted Scout's head. "I'm glad you're okay, Princess. Go home and get some rest."

Alexis smiled at him. "I'm glad you were there, Julian."

"Me too."

GHGHGH

After Scout finally fell asleep, Alexis checked in on Danny. She loved having her grandchildren with her, but she knew it wasn't right. It was Sam they needed. Both of them grew up without a mother and there was no way she'd let the same thing happen to Danny and Scout if she could help it. This generational curse had to stop.

She plopped onto the couch and pulled out her phone.

"Hello, dear," Diane's muffled voice said.

"Diane, we need to step it up with Sam's case. But before that, I need to find a way to declare she's not in her right mind. She's starving herself in Pentonville and was hallucinating today. We have to get them to force feed her."

"Well, do you have proof that she was hallucinating?"

"Not exactly. But Molly witnessed it. I know it's not much to go on, but I'm really concerned for her health."

"All right, well if we get Dr. Collins to examine her, he can determine whether she can make her own decisions or not."

"Speaking of Dr. Collins, did Jason get in to speak to Ryan Chamberlain?"

"Not yet. He's still out of town on business."

Alexis sighed. "Then we need to go see him."

Scout's screams pierced the air.

"I have to go!" Alexis hung up and raced to Scout's bedroom.

Scout sat up in bed, drenched in sweat. Alexis pulled her into her arms.

"I want Mommy…" she bawled. "I want Mommy."

"I know, Cookie, I know."

GHGHGH

"Thanks Scott, I appreciate it," Alexis said into her phone.

"May I ask _why_ you want to give me all your clients?" he asked.

"I have too much on my plate right now. I need to focus on my grandchildren and on getting Sam out of prison."

"But why not give them to Diane? I know you two are close."

"Because I also need her to focus on Sam's case."

"Well, okay."

Alexis hung up.

"I love you forever. I like you for always. As long as I'm living, my mommy you'll be," Danny read to Scout on the couch and he looked over at a picture of Sam on the end table. He reached over and turned it down. Scout stared ahead at the coffee table.

Alexis walked over and lifted Sam's picture back up and sat beside them. "Danny, do you want to stay home with Scout today? I think she'd love to have her big brother with her."

He wrapped his arm around Scout. "Yeah."

"Great. Kristina's coming over this afternoon while I go visit your mom."

GHGHGH

Alexis propped her arm up on the square table and rested her chin in her hand. "I was so stupid to think I could get something out of Ryan Chamberlain."

"Yep, it's gotta be Jason," Diane said. "He'll get it out of him."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Then he better get moving. Sam's trial is next month."

Diane paced back and forth.

"Where's Kevin?" Alexis asked. "He should be here by now."

"I was going to tell you, but visiting Ryan distracted me. He's postponing until tomorrow."

"Seriously? This is urgent."

The door opened and Sam walked in with an unsteady gait. Her tangled hair went in every direction and she sat in the chair.

"Sam?" Alexis squeezed Sam's boney hand. "How are you feeling today?"

Sam's lip trembled.

"Have you eaten anything since yesterday?"

Sam stared ahead at the wall.

"Sam, we're working on getting you out of here," Diane said. "You don't deserve to be here."

"Yes, I do," she mumbled.

"Honey, please stop saying that," Alexis urged. "It was self-defense."

"Jax sent me here?"

Alexis looked at Diane and raised her eyebrow. She turned back to Sam. "No, why would Jax send you here?"

"Then Sonny… or Jason."

"What?"

Sam buried her face in her hands. "For conning them."

"_What_?"

"What are you talking about Sam?" Diane asked. "Are you conning them right now?"

"Until Jason." She stood up. "I want Jason. I need Jason."

Alexis rose and reached for Sam's arms. "Calm down. You're just confused, that's why you need to eat."

"Jason loves me. He forgave me for Jake."

"For Jake? Honey, you're not making any sense."

"Why would he need to forgive you for Jake?" Diane asked.

"I watched it all." Sam started to cry. "I hired the men so I could save them."

"Watched what?" Alexis urged.

"Kidnapping." She backed away from Alexis. "You hate me! You're a control freak!"

"I don't hate you… I love you."

"You don't want me with Jason… You want a better daughter not trash…"

"Listen to me." Alexis cupped Sam's face in her hands. "You are _not_ trash."

"I shot Diego, Kristina saw. I slept with Ric…" She whimpered. "Molly doesn't know."

"I forgave you for that. Molly doesn't need to know."

Sam looked at Alexis, eyes glossy, face grey. "I don't deserve you." Her eyes rolled back, and she dropped to the floor convulsing, foaming at the mouth.

"Sam?" Alexis dropped beside her. _Sam_!"

"_Guard_!" Diane banged on the door. "Call an ambulance!"


	7. Chapter 7

Hey, so I ended up writing another chapter after all today. I'm really trying to work on Sam's character. In this chapter it might make you sympathize with her a bit.

Thanks again for the reviews!

**Chapter 7**

Alexis stared through the window into Sam's hospital room. Finn walked around her bed checking her vitals. She was handcuffed to the bed and a guard stood outside with Alexis and Diane. The only saving grace was that Sam was on IV to get some nutrients into her.

"Alexis, I've been thinking about what Sam said." Diane squeezed her friend's arm.

"Sam said many things. She's very confused right now."

"But she said she conned Jax, Sonny, and Jason… I thought she only conned men before coming to Port Charles."

Alexis massaged her temples. "Your point?'

"You told me once that you never had a DNA test, but you knew in your heart that Sam is your daughter."

Alexis scowled at her. "Because she _is_ my daughter."

"But if she was conning when she came to Port Charles, who's to say she wasn't conning you?"

"What are you saying?"

"I think you should get a DNA test."

"_Diane_! I don't want a DNA test. I don't need it."

"But if she's that good of a con artist—"

"You need to stop talking. She's not conning me. I would know if she wasn't my daughter. Even through our fights, our differences, the resentment I held towards her, through all of that I still knew she was my daughter."

Finn walked out looking at Sam's chart, then lowered it. "Sam's seizure was a result of dehydration. She has severe anorexia and we are filling her with fluids. But we need to get her to eat orally."

"I'll work on that."

"She's also very disoriented. It's a very common symptom, but it'll make it that much harder to get her to eat. I'd get her eating before they take her back to prison though, she needs strength."

"Okay, thank you, Finn."

"There's one other thing… When the nurses were changing her into her gown, they found bruises and gashes all over her. We've mended the cuts, but we don't know if she's doing it to herself or if one of the inmates is abusing her."

Finn turned down the hallway and Diane rubbed Alexis' back. "She'll be okay, she's in the right place."

Alexis went to Sam's bedside. Her eyes were closed. Alexis pulled down the sheet and lifted Sam's gown. Her abdomen was covered in cuts—some brown and fading, others red and fresh.

Sam stirred. "No Daddy, don't hurt me!" She then clambered wildly in her bed. "I just wanna see Danny! Please let me see Danny!"

"Sam… Sam…" Alexis held her arms. "You're dreaming, calm down."

Sam's eyes shot open. "You're not Daddy."

Alexis shook her head. "No."

Sam started shivering. "Is my new Daddy like him? He hurt you!"

"Oh, honey." Alexis placed her hand on Sam's boney cheek. "Is that really why you've been pushing Julian away? Do you think he's going to hurt you like your other father did? I won't let that happen."

"But he hurt you!"

"He was being threatened. He was doing that to protect us. To protect you. Listen to me, baby, he loves you! He is not like Cody, and he has really turned his life around."

Sam started to cry.

"What happened? How did Cody hurt you?"

"I couldn't get him the money. I deserved it."

"Deserved what?"

"The wrench."

"The wrench?" Alexis' eyes grew wide. "Did he hurt you with the wrench?"

A knock on the door drew her attention and Epiphany walked in. "I've got jello and apple sauce. I need you to eat Sam. Soft foods to start."

She placed the tray next to Sam's bed and left.

"Okay, you heard Epiphany. Do you want to start with jello or apple sauce?"

Sam scrunched her face and shook her head.

Alexis opened the jello and scooped some in the spoon. "You need to eat." She brought the spoon to Sam's mouth, but she pressed her lips together. "Sam, why are you doing this?"

"I'll be a good girl, I promise."

"Sam, you are a 39-year-old woman. You are not in the past. You need to eat."

She shook her head again. "I'm not allowed."

"Was that your punishment when you were a child? You weren't allowed to eat?"

Sam smiled wide. "Jason, you're here."

Alexis whipped her head around and sighed. Jason stood in the doorway.

He walked over to her bed. "I came as soon as I heard."

Alexis stood and jammed the jello into his hands. "Feed her. I'm at a loss."

"Sure," he said and sat beside Sam.

"I'm going to check on the kids. I'll be back in a few hours, Sam. Please eat… I love you." She kissed her forehead.

When she returned to the hallway, she dropped to the floor crying into her knees. It was all her fault.

She flinched when an arm wrapped around her. It was Julian. She leaned into his chest, tears spilling from her eyes.

He kissed the top of her head. "It's okay."

"No, it's not, and it's all my fault."

"None of this is your fault. It's that Shiloh creep's fault."

She pulled away from his chest and rested her head on his shoulder. "Well that's partly my fault too because of Kristina, but that's not what I mean. Everything Sam has been through is because I gave her up."

"That's not true. You were forced to give her up and you didn't know what her life would be like."

"I know why she's been pushing you away. She's afraid you're going to hurt her the way her other father did."

"I want to see her."

She shook her head. "I think that's a bad idea right now. She's in a fragile state."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Alexis placed subs in front of Danny and Scout, then sat with them at the table. "What did you do with Kristina today?"

"She took us to the park," Danny said, taking a bite out of his sandwich. "She was talking to that policeman."

"What policeman?"

"I think she called him Chase. He broke up with his girlfriend."

"Oh, really?" Alexis cut Scout's sandwich into quarters. "Eat up Scout."

Scout stared at the sub.

Alexis sighed and whispered to herself. "Not you too." She pulled her chair closer to her granddaughter and wrapped her arm around her. "Aren't you hungry, Cookie?"

She shook her head.

"But it's good for you. It'll make you feel better."

"Is Grandma Monica still sleeping?" she asked in a small voice.

Danny swallowed what he was chewing on and dropped the remainder of his sub on his plate.

"Yes, she is. You miss her, don't you?"

She started to cry. "The car hurt her really bad…"

"It's okay, Scout," Danny said. "Grandma Monica just needs to rest."

"Your brother's right. And Grandma Monica would want you to eat."

"Okay." She lifted a quarter of the sub and took a bite.

There was a knock on the door. Alexis groaned. They didn't need company right now. "Keep eating, I'll go see who it is."

Alexis opened the door to find Jason on her porch. He was the last person she wanted to see.

"Hi. I came to see the kids."

Alexis nodded, even though every muscle in her body tensed. "Did Sam eat?"

"No. And she was all mixed up. She thought Jake was still a baby and wanted me to go get him from Maureen."

"Maureen? What do you mean?"

"Oh, you didn't know about that?"

She shook her head. "She said something yesterday about Jake and a kidnapping."

"Yeah, she watched Jake get kidnapped when he was a baby."

"_What_? Did she try to stop it or tell someone?"

"No."

"But you forgave her?"

He just stared at her without responding.

"I mean, she's my daughter, but I don't know if I could forgive someone for that, much less have a romantic relationship with them."

"She fits into my life."

"That's it? She just _fits_ into your life? You're everything to her. Don't you love her?"

"Of course, I do."

"So, say you weren't in the mob and neither Sonny nor Carly existed, would you still choose to be with Sam?"

He paused for a moment before saying, "Like I said, she fits into my life."

"But if you didn't have the mob, Sonny, or Carly, who would you want to be with?"

Another pause.

"Grandma, we're done eating." Danny walked into the living room holding Scout's hands. He locked eyes with Jason.

"Hey, Danny. How are you?" Jason asked.

Danny swallowed hard. He looked from Alexis to Jason. "I'm okay."

"Do you and Scout want to hang out tonight? We can go get ice cream."

Silence.

Alexis walked over to them and rubbed Danny's back. "If you want to go, it's okay. I was going to have Kristina come over again while I go see your mom anyway."

"Okay, if Scout does."

Scout hugged her brother's leg. "No. No. No."

Alexis knelt down to her level. "Cookie, you don't have to go. Would you rather play with Aunt Kristina?"

She nodded.

"Okay, then you can stay here with Aunt Kristina." She turned to Danny. "Do you want to go with your dad?"

He looked over at Jason. "Yeah."

GHGHGH

When Alexis arrived outside Sam's room, Julian was talking to Lucas.

Lucas placed his hands in the pockets of his white coat.

Alexis walked over to them. "How's she doing?"

Lucas shook his head. "Not good. She kept calling me Danny."

"I want to see her." Julian set his hands on his hips. "I know she has issues with me, but I think she needs me."

Alexis stepped closer to the window into Sam's room. Molly was sitting on the edge of the bed. Sam was crying.

Molly bolted to her feet. "YOU DID WHAT!?"

Julian and Alexis turned. Sam's mouth moved and she pressed her hands to her eyes.

"NO! I HATE YOU!" Molly ran out of the room crying. She zoomed past them and down the hallway.

Alexis gasped. She looked from Sam to down the hallway. She met Julian's eyes then went after Molly.

Molly was huddled on the floor, squalling into her knees.

Alexis dropped beside her and pulled her into her arms. "Molly… it's okay."

"No, it's not okay! Why didn't you tell me Dad and Sam had… had… I can't even say it!"

Alexis' heart sank. "You adore your father and your sister…"

"Not anymore, I hate them!"

"No, you don't. This is why I didn't tell you. I didn't want you to look at them in that way."

Molly pulled away from her. "I'm sorry, Mom."

Alexis wiped away Molly's tears with her thumbs. "For what?"

"I never understood why you always kept Sam at arm's length when we were growing up."

"I shouldn't have done that."

"Yet you still kept her in your life… our lives. Here I was resenting you for keeping her at arm's length, but you still tried to keep our family intact."

"I forgave Sam. I will always forgive my girls. But I'm ashamed of shunning your sister. She's been through so much in her life."

"But that's why you and Dad split up, right?"

"That's a big part of it, yes."

"I'm sorry for judging your relationship with Julian, not after what Dad did to you."

Alexis sighed. "It's okay to be angry… it's only natural. But I hope you can find a way to forgive them. They both love you so much."

"You didn't tell me to protect the way I look at them, but you sacrificed the way I look at you to do so."

"I suppose I did, yes."

She started to cry again and hugged her again. "I'm sorry, Mom. You're my hero."

GHGHGH

"Alexis…" Diane called through the hallways as Alexis was heading back to Sam's room.

"Hi."

Diane lifted an envelope and handed it to her.

"What's this?"

"Don't be angry, but I had Epiphany run a DNA test."

Alexis scoffed. "_Diane_. I told you, I don't need a DNA test. How did you even do it?"

"I pulled a stray hair from your shirt when I rubbed your back earlier, and Epiphany got some hair from Sam in her hospital room."

Alexis groaned and handed it back to her. "You are being ridiculous."

She started to open it. "I'm just trying to look out for my best friend." She read it over and handed it back to Alexis. "You were right. I'm sorry I doubted you."

Alexis rolled her eyes and skimmed the page. 100% match. She crumpled it up and tossed it in the trash can. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to see _my _daughter."

She opened the door and her mouth dropped slightly, then she started to smile. Julian was holding a crying Sam in his arms. The jello container next to her bed was empty.

"It's okay, Sam," he said.

"Please don't leave me, Dad. I'm sorry."


	9. Chapter 9

I've been looking forward to writing this scene-what I believe the mob really is! Enjoy!

**Chapter 9**

Alexis leaned against the door, watching Julian and Sam together. After all the drama, her heart was warmed.

Julian let go of the embrace. "What do you say you eat the apple sauce next?"

"Okay."

Julian reached for the apple sauce and handed it to Sam. She slowly started to eat it.

"Taste good? I've always loved apple sauce." He leaned over to the bedside table and looked at the purple flowers sitting there. "These from your mom?" He pulled two from the vase and read the label. "Chrysanth… leave it to your mom to choose flowers with a big long name." He placed the stems over his ears. "Does this help me look better?"

Sam started to giggle.

Alexis covered her mouth and laughed.

Julian turned. "Looks like we have an audience."

Alexis walked in. "For your information, chrysanthemums are a beautiful flower and are in season right now. At least that's what the florist told me."

Julian looked at Sam and rolled his eyes. "She always has an excuse for her crazy ideas."

"Crazy ideas? They were to brighten her room up."

He shook his head. "Just listen to her, excuses, excuses."

Sam set the apple sauce container down and bit her lip as if trying to stop laughing.

Alexis sat on the other side of the bed. "Well I think you're just jealous that I didn't give flowers to you."

Julian scrunched his face. "Why would I want flowers with a confusing long name?"

Alexis playfully hit his arm. "Oh stop." She turned to Sam. "How are you feeling, sweetie?"

Sam stared at her lap. "I want to go home."

"I know. You will. Julian, do you mind if I have a moment with Sam?"

"Well, I don't know," Julian said. "Sam, do want to listen to all her crazy ideas?"

Sam started laughing again.

"Well, I'm glad you two find this amusing," Alexis said.

Julian kissed Sam's cheek. "I'll come by tomorrow. I love you."

As he started to walk away, Sam said softly, "I love you too."

He smiled back at them and left.

"Sam, I'm so glad that you're eating again and giving your dad another chance."

"I missed him."

She smiled slightly. "I know." Alexis sat up straighter on the bed. "Those cuts on you… did someone do them to you or are you doing that to yourself?"

Sam leaned against her pillow.

"Please, tell me."

Sam's eyes began to well with tears. "My cellmate."

Alexis gasped. "Oh honey, I'm so sorry. I'm going to get you out of there. Now you were saying things earlier… you said your other father hurt you with a wrench and wouldn't allow you to eat when you didn't do what he asked."

Silence.

"I wish you told me sooner." Tears welled from deep inside Alexis and coursed down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry he did that to you. I wish I was there to stop it."

"I deserved it."

"No, you didn't. You were a little girl. You needed your father to protect you, not harm you."

Sam looked over at the wall, avoiding eye contact.

"Now why were you starving yourself?"

She swallowed and shifted awkwardly in the bed. "Because I deserve all this."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because I've hurt a lot of people."

"Look at me." Alexis lifted her chin. "I've hurt you. I've hurt Kristina and Molly. Julian hurt all of us. Everyone has hurt someone at some point in their lives."

"When I came to town, I tried to con Jax. Then I conned Sonny. Then Jason… but then everything changed. I changed. Jason became everything to me."

"Then we found each other," Alexis said. "And that was the best thing that ever happened to me."

"But I destroyed your family."

"_You_ are my family. _You_, Kristina, and Molly. And now Danny and Scout." Alexis reached for her hand and kissed it. "My heart ached all those years. My body ached. Yes, we've had many ups and downs, but we had each other through them. We may have made mistakes along the way, but at least we had each other."

"I just… I don't know who I am anymore."

"I'll tell you who you are," Alexis said. "First and foremost, you are Danny and Scout's mom."

"I wish I was half the mother you are."

"You are a wonderful mother. It's just this past year, or I don't know how long exactly, something has changed, and I would really like to help you if you would let me."

"I kept sending Danny and Scout to Monica. If they aren't with me, I would want them with you, Mom… but I didn't want you to think I'm a bad mother, that's why I sent them to Monica."

"And you did that to catch Shiloh?"

"I wanted to save Kristina…"

"And I am very grateful for that, so is Kristina… but as much as I loved my sister, I would still put you girls first, above her. Your sisters understand that your kids come first. It wasn't up to you to get involved in Dawn of Day. Not only did it put you in danger, but it also put your children in danger."

Sam started to cry again. "I just… that's who I am with Jason. We face danger head on. And I didn't want Kristina in a cult."

"But Sam, the mob is a cult."

Sam stared at her.

"I've always thought it was… and you're not going to want to hear this… but especially watching you with Jason through the years. Then when Kristina got involved with D.O.D. and Dr. Byrne explained to me the signs of a cult, it kind of confirmed it for me. I wanted to get Kristina out right away, but I learned with you, that I have to let you girls make your own choices. If I was the one who removed Kristina from D.O.D., she would not be talking to me today. She was mad at Sonny at first, but Sonny can do no wrong and is always right. He is the typical cult leader."

"But Shiloh drugged women and slept with them."

She nodded. "You're right. There are different kinds of cults though. Women become mesmerized by Sonny and Jason. Believe me, I know, I've been there. And when you're with them, it suspends your whole identity. I felt it. When I became pregnant with Kristina, that's what made me pull away to protect her. But it took losing my sister in an explosion to truly realize it. You become so loyal to them that everything else comes second. And you can't be with anyone who doesn't fit into that lifestyle."

"So that's why Jason doesn't see Jake much," Sam muttered.

Alexis nodded.

"But Shiloh collected money from people."

"The mob makes money in illegal ways. Lots of it."

"D.O.D. brainwashed people."

"In the mob they make you shut down every sound argument against them. They make you believe the danger is normal, that you need to accept it. And the way they talk about the family… it's almost sickening. It's not normal. And Sonny just had his what eighth child and he's trying to adopt another? They are really building up their future. I'm proud of Michael for choosing a different career.

"If Sonny or Carly tell Jason to jump, he'll jump, even if it means leaving you behind," Alexis started to cry. "I promised myself I wouldn't say all this to you, because I'm afraid of losing you further, but it's affecting Danny and Scout."

"It is?" Sam choked up. "How?"

"They miss you, Sam. Danny was suspended from school a few weeks ago for beating up another student."

"What? That's not like him…"

"But the principal said his marks started dropping last year. Around the time you broke up with Drew and got back together with Jason. And Scout… she's been mourning her father and brother without you."

"Because I haven't been there for her…"

"Sam, I know you don't like me getting involved with your relationship with Jason. And it's not that I wish him dead, I really don't. But I watched you flourish when he was gone. The way you fought for Danny during his cancer, you were such a fierce mother. You seemed happy when he was gone. Yes, I know you missed him, but you seemed free. Since he's been back, you seem to be slipping away like Kristina did when she joined D.O.D."

"But my life before Jason… I was alone."

"And cults are attractive to lonely people. I know Jason helped you and was there for you. That's wonderful that you had him, but you grew when you were away from him. He's never going to give up the mob and he's never going to put you first. Your father on the other hand, he has put that behind him and is legit."

Sam paused in thought, then lowered into her bed. "Dad's right, you have crazy ideas. I'm getting tired."


	10. Chapter 10

Thank you for the reviews! It's neat seeing Sam and Elizabeth fans not just getting along but agreeing on things (big shout out to FoxyLeo and our Guest). I for one like both of them, just not how Sam is when she's with Jason. I do lean towards Liason sometimes because I think there's more material to work with, but I don't know, I think both Sam and Elizabeth can do better. Maybe if they realize how toxic being with Jason is they can bond over it and become friends lol. I doubt that would happen onscreen though.

Anyway, with the exception of Alexis' dream, this chapter takes a break from Sam and is more focused on Danny and Scout. Enjoy!

**Chapter 10**

When Alexis returned home, Jason had already dropped Danny off. He sat at the kitchen table doing a puzzle with Kristina and Scout.

Alexis sat with them and looked at the box. "Wow, a puppy puzzle."

"Yeah looks kind of like Annabelle the second," Danny said, placing a piece in the corner.

"Danny, do you have homework tonight?"

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter."

"Of course, it does. In fact, I think we should come up with a homework schedule."

"Oh no," Kristina groaned. "Not the homework schedule."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Well we lost our old one in the fire, but we can get a new one."

"What's the point?" Danny looked at her. "I'll just do what my dad does, then I don't have to go to school."

Alexis gasped and Kristina laughed a little. "Not funny, Kristina. Now Danny, are you sure that's what you want to do?"

"No. I just don't want to go to school anymore."

"Kristina, do you mind taking Scout to bed?"

"Sure."

Alexis hugged her granddaughter and kissed her cheek. "Goodnight, Cookie."

Kristina took her hand and they left the kitchen.

"Danny, I know some of the kids were being mean, but you have to go to school."

"But they're saying horrible things about Mom. And they said I'm going to be a mobster just like my dad."

"You said a few minutes ago that you don't want to be a mobster, so it doesn't matter what your classmates think. If they're saying mean things, just tell them to stop talking to you that way. If they keep it up, you need to tell your teacher."

"I guess. Do you think my dad wants me to be like him?"

Alexis sighed. "I don't know what your dad wants. But what do you want, Danny?"

"Well I kind of thought it would be cool to be a lawyer."

She started to smile. "Really?"

"Yeah or maybe a cop."

"Those are really great choices. But if you want to be either, you need to go to school and keep up your marks."

GHGHGH

_The thin preteen girl with a black ponytail walked into the dirty apartment. Alexis stood off to the side. The girl was out of breath and leaned against the door closing her eyes tight._

_ "Sam? You back?" Cody McCall's voice entered the room before he did. "Well? Where's my money?"_

_ "They caught me. Threw me out of the drug store. I broke away and ran home…"_

_ Alexis stepped a little closer, but a transparent barrier blocked her._

_ "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" Cody charged into the kitchen and returned with a wrench. "You can forget about eating the rest of the week._

_ "NO! NO!" Alexis pounded on the barrier in front of her as Sam cried taking the beating. "Sam! SAM!"_

"Grandma…" Scout's voice pulled her out of her dream.

Alexis sat up, drenched in sweat. "Scout…"

"Grandma, I had a bad dream."

Alexis breathed heavily. "Grandma did too, Cookie."

Scout pouted. "I want Mommy."

"Do you want to sleep with Grandma? Maybe it'll make both of us feel better."

Scout nodded and climbed on the bed. She cuddled close to her side and Alexis wrapped her arm around her.

"Want to tell Grandma about your dream?" Alexis asked.

"The car hit Grandma Monica and Daddy and Oscar really really bad. And—and then… Danny's daddy took Mommy."

"Oh, Cookie." Alexis kissed the top of her head.

"Danny's daddy is really scary."

Alexis sighed unsure of how to respond to that. "Don't be scared."

Scout started to cry, tears falling onto Alexis' nightgown. "I want Mommy."

Alexis squeezed her tight. "Then Grandma will take you to see her tomorrow."

GHGHGH

"Hey Lex." Julian walked in and Alexis closed the door. He lifted a Dunkin Donuts bag. "I brought donuts."

She rolled her eyes. "Donuts? For breakfast?"

"Yes, they're very nutritious."

"Hey, Grandpa."

Danny walked down the stairs with Scout.

Julian smiled. "Hey kids. I hope you're hungry."

"Okay we can eat the donuts," Alexis said. "But we're going to have oatmeal and fruit too."

When they settled at the kitchen table, everyone dug into their donuts.

"How are you kids doing?" Julian asked.

Danny shrugged. "Can Annabelle the second come live with us?"

Alexis almost choked and started to cough. "A dog? Grandma doesn't have much experience with dogs."

"But we miss her and she's probably really lonely. She always followed Grandma Monica around."

"Please, Grandma…" Scout stuck out her lower lip.

Alexis groaned.

Julian scratched his chin. "You know, it might perk the kids up a bit."

She shot him a look. "I'll think about it."

"Say, I have Leo this weekend. Maybe we can all do something. Hit the park maybe."

Alexis smiled. "That's a great idea. Danny, we need to get you to school."

"Can Grandpa take me?" Danny asked.

Julian looked at Alexis and she nodded.

"Sure thing, Danny," Julian said. "Do you have your knapsack ready?"

He lifted it from the floor and wrapped a strap over his shoulder. "Yeah."

"Oh Danny," Alexis stood and lifted the other strap over his other shoulder. "You should use both straps, it's better for your back."

Danny rolled his eyes and pulled a strap down. "But that's not cool, Grandma. Everyone will think I'm a loser."

"Remember what I said?" She lifted it back onto his shoulder. "Don't worry what others think."

"All right champ." Julian placed his hands on Danny's shoulders. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah. Bye, Grandma. Bye Scout."

Alexis kissed his cheek. "Have a good day."

"Aw, Grandma." He rubbed his cheek. "Now I'll have lipstick all on me."

Alexis laughed and wiped his cheek with a Kleenex. "Good as new."


	11. Chapter 11

Hi everyone, so I have no clue what happened to Lainey Winters. Wiki doesn't give much info, but it also doesn't indicate that she died or anything. So, I'm using her in this chapter, that way Scout doesn't have to talk to Kevin or that dull awful Dr. Byrne… Thanks again for the reviews! They encourage me to keep going!

**Chapter 11**

Alexis wrapped her purse around her shoulder and stepped out to the porch. She leaned against the door, massaging her temples. There was no way things could get worse right now, right?

"Alexis?" Diane's voice made her jolt.

Alexis crossed her arms and glared at her. "Unless this has to do with Sam's case, then I don't want to hear it."

"I just don't like how we left things yesterday."

"Yeah? Then respect my wishes! Now if you'll excuse me, I need to see Molly. I don't have long because Julian is watching Scout and he has to be at work in an hour."

"Please, accept my apology."

Alexis shook her head. "I have too much on my plate right now. If you want me to forgive you, then find a way to set Sam free."

GHGHGH

Alexis knocked on Molly's door. She heard a groan. "Go away."

"Molly, it's Mom. Please let me in."

The door opened. Molly was in her pajamas, hair messy, and bags under her eyes. She immediately hugged Alexis.

Alexis rubbed her back. "I take it you didn't sleep well last night?"

She shook her head and walked over to the couch. She sat down, pulled her feet up under her, and wrapped the throw blanket around her.

Alexis sat beside her. "We need to talk about it."

"I told Kristina. She took it better than me. She said it makes sense because she remembers a lot of tension when you had cancer."

"Please don't blame Sam."

Molly sighed.

"It was a few months after she found out I'm her mother. We had a really hard time figuring out our relationship. Both of us said and did things that we regret. She had a lot of abandonment issues, and I think she still does. But take it from me, bitterness is not the way to go. It pushes people you love away and only hurts you in the end."

"I get that Sam has had a hard life, but why would she do that to you?" She started to cry. "Why would she do that to _me_? I thought she loved me."

"Oh, honey." Alexis pulled her into her arms and rocked her back and forth. "It had nothing to do with you. She _does _love you."

"And Dad… I'm disgusted with him. As mad as I am at Sam, Dad was her stepfather! His part was worse!"

"I know… and that's why I can never be with him again… and I get along with him for your sake, but I'll never fully forgive him. But this doesn't have to affect your relationship with him if you don't want it to. He loves you."

"I just… I can't see them right now. I know just looking at them will disgust me."

"Well, how did you look at Sam before you found this out? I think I know, I just want you to say it out loud."

Molly sighed. "Well, she was the greatest big sister Kristina and I can ask for. She's strong, smart, and always has our backs."

"And do you think any of that has changed? Are you sure you can't still look at her and see her as the greatest big sister?"

Molly stared at Alexis. "I don't know."

GHGHGH

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" Alexis tucked Sam's hair behind her ears. "Have you eaten anything this morning?"

"I had a little oatmeal."

"You have a little colour in your cheeks, that's a good sign."

"How are Danny and Scout?" Sam asked.

"Danny's at school. Scout wants to see you. I just dropped her off at play therapy."

"Therapy?" She sat up a little. "Why is she in therapy?"

"I didn't have a chance to tell you yesterday. I wanted to make sure you were well first. Monica and Scout were in a car accident a couple days ago."

"_What_? Scout… is she okay?"

"Physically she's fine. She was in the right-back seat. The other car crashed into the driver's side. Monica is in a coma. Scout's a little traumatized. She didn't want to get into my car, so we walked here."

Sam placed a hand over her eyes and began to cry. "I should be with her."

"You will be. Just use that as incentive to take care of yourself and fight to get out of Pentonville."

Sam pushed away her tears with her thumbs. "So traumatized, how? Like Kristina when I shot Diego?"

"She's not as withdrawn. She's been having nightmares and keeps asking for you."

"I want them to be with you." She squeezed her eyes shut. "Even if Jason wants Danny."

"Well, Jason has been busy with the business. They were staying with Monica, but after the accident I brought them home with me."

Sam reached for Alexis' hand and squeezed it. "Thanks, Mom. Thank you for being there for them."

"Hey, I love having them. I just hate seeing them go through this. And most of all, I hate not having you home with us."

"Can I go with you to get her? I want to talk to the therapist."

Alexis nodded. "I think I can convince the guard. But he'll probably have to go with us."

GHGHGH

Alexis pushed Sam's wheelchair and pulled the IV drip behind them, the guard following. Down the hallway Molly was talking to TJ.

Sam smiled at her. Molly locked eyes with Sam and her nostrils flared. She took TJ's arm and they turned the corner.

Sam swallowed hard. "Why did Molly look at me that way?"

Alexis sighed. "Yesterday you hallucinated a bit and said a lot of things. When Molly came to see you—"

"She came to see me?"

She nodded. "You told her about you and Ric."

Sam's mouth grew wide and she started to breathe heavily. "She must hate me."

Alexis stroked her hair. "She doesn't hate you. She's in shock and is dealing with a lot of emotions. Just give her a little time."

GHGHGH

"How did it go?" Alexis asked Lainey as she looked through the window at Scout holding a doll.

Sam repositioned herself in her wheelchair.

"She let out a lot of emotions," Lainey said. "She doesn't understand why people keep leaving her."

Sam frowned. "Like me."

Lainey nodded. "I asked her to show me how she's feeling with dolls. She had a car crash into the Monica, Drew, and Oscar figure. She's associating the car with death and her fears. The doll she named as Danny's daddy was driving the car and the mommy doll was beside him, and she said Mommy is trapped there. Then they drove off together."

Sam placed a shaky hand on her forehead.

Alexis took a deep breath. "Anything else?"

"The Scout and Danny dolls were in the playhouse with the Grandma, Grandpa, and Leo dolls. She said she feels happy and safe there. But she wants Danny's daddy to give Mommy back."

Sam wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. "I want to see her."

Lainey nodded and opened the door. "Scout, your grandma and mommy are here."

Scout walked to the door and dropped the doll she was holding. "Mommy!" She ran over and tried to climb onto the wheelchair.

"Here, Cookie. Let Grandma help." Alexis lifted her onto Sam's lap. "Be extra gentle, remember Grandma said Mommy isn't feeling so good."

Sam wrapped her thin arms around Scout and kissed her forehead. "Hi baby. Mommy misses you so much."

Alexis placed her hand over her heart, tears welling in her eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

Hi everyone, does anyone know much about prisons (preferably in NY since that's where this takes place)? If one inmate is abusing the other, would the victim be able to get a new cell or cellmate? Or how would that work?

Thank you guest, glad you have sympathy for Sam in this story! I hope you like her by the end.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 12**

"Did you enjoy seeing Mommy, Cookie?" Alexis asked, holding Scout's hand as they walked up to the house.

Scout nodded, but she was frowning.

"What's wrong?"

"Why can't Danny's daddy let her come home?"

Alexis stopped on the porch and kneeled down to her level. "Mommy isn't feeling well. Once she feels better, she'll come home."

"Can we live here?"

"You mean when Mommy comes home?" Alexis asked.

Scout nodded.

"Grandma would love that." Alexis stroked Scout's hair. "But that's up to Mommy where she wants to live."

Scout stared at the ground.

"Want to go in and see Danny and Kristina?"

"Yeah."

When they walked inside, Danny, Kristina, and Chase were sitting around the coffee table playing Chinese Checkers.

"Hello." Alexis smiled at Chase.

"Hi Ms. Davis," Chase said.

Alexis sat down and Scout climbed onto her lap. "Please, call me Alexis. Thank you for picking up Danny, Kristina."

"Chase picked me up too." Danny grinned. "I got to ride in a police car! Everyone in my class was so jealous."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Danny's a good kid," Chase said. "He wanted to run the sirens, but I told him we'd have to wait until we parked."

"It was so cool," Danny said. "Now I really wanna be a cop, just like Chase."

Alexis smiled.

"You'd make a great cop, Danny," Kristina said. "Chase and I should get going. We're going to visit Sam, then we have dinner plans."

"You do? Like a date?" Alexis asked.

"_Mom_…" Kristina groaned. "We haven't labelled it yet."

"Oh, sorry."

"See you later, kid." Chase shook Danny's hand. "If you have any questions about police work, I'd be happy to help."

Alexis watched Chase and Kristina leave. "So, it sounds like you had a good day, Danny?"

He shrugged. "It was okay. But once everyone saw Chase picking me up it got so much better. You should have seen Emmett's face."

"I'm glad you enjoyed your day. Now, last night I was thinking about your homework schedule."

Danny frowned. "Do I have to do homework?"

"If you want to be a cop, most definitely."

Scout took Alexis' bracelet off and placed it on her own wrist.

"But I'm still deciding between that and a lawyer," Danny said.

"A lawyer requires even more schooling than police work does."

"Oh."

"Why don't you get started while I get dinner ready."

His eyes grew wide. "You're not going to burn it are you?"

Alexis laughed. "Why would I burn it?"

"Mom says you can't cook…"

She rolled her eyes. "Hey, I can cook some things."

Danny scrunched his face. "Can't we just get take-out?"

"We had subs last night. We can't get take-out every night. So anyway, get started on your homework, then when we eat we can discuss it. Let me know if you need any help. Then we can watch one educational show. Then you can take an hour to study. Then maybe read a good book before bed."

Danny's mouth dropped open.

The door swung open. "Knock, knock." Julian walked in carrying a little dog.

Alexis felt the colour drain from her face.

"Annabelle the second!" Danny ran over and took the dog from Julian.

Scout jumped off Alexis' lap and joined them at the door. Annabelle the second barked happily and licked Danny's face excessively.

"Hey guys, I was just over visiting Leo, and Olivia was saying how much Annabelle the second missed you guys. Leo likes cats better, so he didn't mind. Olivia said you guys can keep her until Monica gets better."

Alexis gaped at him.

Scout jumped up and down. "Yay!"

Danny looked over at Alexis. "Can we take her for a walk?"

"But you have homework to do, Danny," Alexis said.

"A walk's probably a good idea," Julian said. "Olivia said she hasn't had one today."

"Oh, all right. You can start your homework after dinner."

"Can you come with us?" Scout asked her.

"Grandma was going to make dinner," Alexis said.

"Oh, don't worry about dinner, Lex," Julian said. "We can grab something after."

Alexis groaned. "Fine, we'll take her for a walk."

Danny held the leash with Annabelle the second walking calmly beside him, stopping occasionally for a pee break. Julian and Alexis walked on either side of Danny and the dog as Scout skipped happily ahead of them.

When they reached the park, Danny and Scout ran ahead with Annabelle the second.

"Stay where we can see you!" Alexis called out as she sat on a bench.

Julian sat beside and she turned and hit his arm. "How could you! I don't know how to take care of a dog!"

"But look how happy they are."

"And that's what makes this so hard. I never wanted a dog. Why would you put me in this position?"

Annabelle the second came running over to the bench, the kids trailing behind her. The dog jumped onto Alexis' lap. She jolted. The pooch placed its paw on Alexis' chest.

"She likes you, Grandma," Scout said.

"Okay, fine, we can keep her… until Monica gets home."

"Hey, Dad!"

Alexis whipped her head around. Lucas was pushing Wiley in a stroller towards them.

"Lucas!" Julian got up and hugged him. "How's my grandson?"

"He was getting a little fussy, so I thought a walk through the park would help."

Alexis smiled at him. "He's getting so big. Danny, Scout, say hi to your cousin."

"Hi Wiley," Danny said.

"Can he play with us?" Scout asked.

"You can play on the swings if you'd like. He loves those."

Lucas pulled Wiley out of the stroller. Danny took his hand and took him and Scout over to the swings.

"We should really get them together more," Lucas said, sitting beside Alexis. "I saw Sam today. She's doing much better. Just has to put on some weight."

Alexis nodded and Annabelle the second rested her head against Alexis. "Yeah, I'm so relieved. Except the sooner she's better, the sooner she returns to Pentonville."

Lucas sighed.

"How are you and Brad doing?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Brad's been acting strange since we brought Wiley home, but it just seems to be getting worse. He's a closed book."

Julian stared down at his lap.

"I'm sure it's just parent anxiety," Alexis said.

"Yeah, maybe."

"Uncle Lucas!" Scout called over. "Come play with us!"

Lucas grinned. "Excuse me, duty calls." He ran over to the swings."

"What's wrong?" Alexis asked Julian.

"Nothing."

"Obviously it's not nothing. You went really quiet when he talked about Brad."

He rubbed his cheeks with his fingers and thumb. "I have to tell someone."

"What is it?"

"He's so happy with Wiley."

Alexis looked over at Lucas pushing Wiley and Scout on the swings. Danny pumping his legs hard then jumping off the swing.

"Is Willow wanting to take him back?" Alexis asked.

"No, it's not that."

"Then what?"

He cleared his throat. "Willow's baby died shortly after birth. He was switched with Michael's baby. Nelle and Brad switched them. Wiley is Michael's."

Alexis gasped.

"If the truth comes out then Michael will want him back. It'll break Lucas' heart."

"But if the truth comes from someone besides you, Lucas will resent you for that. And Michael's a good guy, I'm sure he and Lucas would come to some sort of agreement."

"So, you're saying I should tell Lucas?"

"Sooner rather than later."


	13. Chapter 13

Ugh I hate what they're doing with Julian on the show, after all his character growth! Not only are they throwing him under the bus but making him disgusting -_- Hopefully it'll get better for him. Definitely not going that route in my story. It almost turned me off from continuing, but I managed to write some more!

Thank you for the tips about prisons!

**Chapter 12**

"Hi, honey," Diane said cheerfully through the phone.

Alexis sighed. "Does this have to do with Sam? If not—"

"Yes, it does, I have good news."

"Did you find new evidence?"

"Well, no."

Alexis groaned. "Then how is this good news?"

"I got her protective custody for when she returns to Pentonville. She won't have to put up with the abusive inmate."

She smiled slightly. "That's… good."

"You don't sound too happy."

"I am. I really am. I was just hoping it would be bigger news. A way to get her out permanently. But thank you. At least she'll be safer."

"And how are you doing?"

"Let's see, how am I doing… do you mean with trying to get Sam healthy or trying to free her? Or perhaps you mean trying to comfort Molly and hoping she'll reconcile with her sister? Or maybe with caring for my lonely grandchildren and trying to make them understand why people keep leaving them? Or trying to convince Julian to do the right thing after turning his life around? Or perhaps my biggest anxiety of all right now is the dog I didn't ask for who keeps chewing my good shoes, getting into the garbage, peeing where she shouldn't, and dragging me along on the leash—I don't know how she's so calm when Danny walks her! Oh yes, I'm doing just fine. And you know for the first time in a long time, Kristina is the only one of my daughters not causing me stress right now!"

GHGHGH

The waitress set down five plates of burgers and fries on their table at Kelly's. Alexis placed her hands on her forehead. "We have got to stop eating out."

"You have a lot going on right now, you shouldn't worry about cooking," Julian said as he cut Scout's hamburger into smaller pieces. "Besides, I don't want you to poison us."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "My cooking isn't that bad. In fact, bring Leo for dinner tomorrow and let's invite Lucas, Kristina, and Molly over. And they can bring Wiley and their significant others. I mean, it won't be the same without Sam, but it'll give the kids some normalcy."

"Yeah about Leo," Julian said. "Olivia agreed I can have him every weekend now."

Leo sat up straighter and smiled.

"She likes that you and I have been spending more time together. She said you're a good influence."

Alexis blushed. "It's for our grandchildren, that's all."

"Can we get dessert?" Danny asked, eating his last fry.

Leo's eyes lit up. "I want cake!"

Scout lifted her arms in the air. "I want ice cream!"

"All right," Alexis said. "But next week we're going to start eating in more."

Scout stuck out her lower lip. "Can Grandpa and Leo come live with us?'

"Oh, Scout," Alexis sighed. "Grandpa and Leo have their own home."

"Or at least sleep over?" Danny asked. "We can watch movies all night and Leo can bunk with me!"

Alexis raised an eyebrow.

"I could sleep in the spare room," Julian offered.

Alexis threw her arms in the air, defeated. "Why not? We'll have the whole town and the Port Charles Zoo move in while we're at it!"

GHGHGH

Danny zoomed through the living room, Leo and Scout chasing after him in a game of tag with Annabelle the second barking and trailing behind them.

Alexis squeezed the bridge of her nose. "I am getting a Déjà vu."

Julian laughed. "Of what?"

"When Kristina was little, and Sonny had me watch Michael and Morgan. Only difference there are no guards hovering around us."

"That is quite the picture."

Alexis clapped her hands and the kids stopped running. She reached for a DVD on the coffee table and lifted it up. "Okay, I have a DVD we can all watch before bed."

Julian took it from her. "Bill Nye the Science Guy? This is super old and about evolution. That theory hasn't even been proven!"

"Well, I suppose so. I have more—"

"Do you guys want to watch something on Disney Plus instead?" Julian suggested.

"Yeah!" Danny, Leo, and Scout piped up at once.

They all cozied up on the couch in the rec room, Scout on Julian's lap, Leo on Alexis', and Danny in the middle holding Annabelle the second. After a half hour, the children fell asleep watching the new Lady and the Tramp.

"We should get them to bed," Alexis said.

Julian smiled. "They look so peaceful."

"You know, you've been a great help. Danny and Scout love having you here."

"And you?"

Alexis' face went pink. "I love how happy it makes them." She stroked Leo's dark hair. "And it's great spending more time with him again."

"You helped me a lot when he was a baby. I had no clue what I was doing."

"Have you talked to Lucas yet?"

Julian sighed. "No. I don't know how to tell him."

"Just tell him the truth. He might be angry at first, but he'll respect you later for it.

GHGHGH

"How are the kids?" Sam asked, sitting up in her hospital bed.

"Good, much better," Alexis said. "They still miss you though."

"Yeah, they had a lot of fun with Leo on the weekend," Julian said. "He misses them since they moved out of the Quartermaine's."

"Does Molly still not want to see me?" Sam asked softly.

"Like I said she's very confused right now," Alexis sighed. "She loves you. She just needs a little time to process it. Now, Sam, we don't have a lot of time. They are taking you back to Pentonville in a few minutes."

Sam stared at her lap. "In my old days, I would have tried to escape. But things are different now."

"I know. But look at me." Alexis lifted her chin. "We are doing everything in our power from our end. You need to eat and drink and keep healthy."

She nodded.

"And your mom was telling me Diane got you protective custody," Julian said.

Sam started to tear up.

Alexis caressed her cheek. "You'll be safer now."

"We have to take her now." The guard walked in. "The shuttle is here."

Alexis pulled her into her arms and kissed the top of her head. "Stay strong."

Julian wrapped his arms around both of them. "It'll be okay."

GHGHGH

After dinner, Kristina, Chase, Molly, and TJ took Danny, Leo, and Scout down to the rec room while Lucas helped Julian and Alexis clean up.

"I'm sorry Brad couldn't come," Lucas said, as he stacked some dishes. "He couldn't get it off work."

Wiley toddled beside him holding his stuffed giraffe.

Alexis smiled. "That's okay, we're glad you and Wiley made it."

"Yeah, we should do this more often," Julian said.

Alexis looked between them. "We can finish tidying later. Why don't I spend time with this little guy…" She scooped up Wiley in her arms and he started to play with her face. "And you guys go for a walk. It's a nice evening."

Julian's ears went pink and she gave him a little nudge.

Lucas shrugged. "Sure."

They grabbed their jackets and took off into the night. Alexis sat on the couch with Wiley.

"Hi Wiley. I know you love your Daddy Lucas, but this is the right thing to do. I think everything will work out fine."

Less than ten minutes later Lucas stormed in. "Come on, Wiley. We're leaving." He lifted his from Alexis' lap.

"Did you guys talk?" Alexis asked.

Julian walked in, face pale, but he nodded.

"I'm sorry, Alexis." Lucas hugged her. "Thank you for dinner, but we have to go."

Without even looking at Julian, Lucas and Wiley left.

Alexis gritted her teeth. "He didn't take it well?"

Julian plopped on the couch beside her and rubbed his eyes with his finger and thumb. "He didn't believe me. He thinks I'm just trying to interfere with him and Brad."

"Oh, Julian." She leaned forward and hugged him. "He just needs time to process it."


	14. Chapter 14

Hi everyone. So a couple things. I started a new Samlexis forum. I can't post links here, but if you're interested please let me know. I can send links in PM using spaces.

I'm glad that they're at least not dragging out this Julian/Brad stuff on the show. Still hate that Julian did that, but it's out in the open already so I guess that's good. This chapter is a lot of Alexis and Lucas, with some of Sam and the grandkids too. Hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 14**

Alexis cut Scout's chicken breast into smaller pieces and took a sip of her water.

"Where's Grandpa?" Danny asked, eating a carrot.

"He's working this evening," Alexis said. "You'll be asleep when he gets home."

Danny groaned. "Oh man."

"How much homework do you have tonight?"

"Just some geometry. It's pretty easy though. I like math."

"You do?" She smiled. "That's a good thing. Is it your favourite subject?"

"Yeah, I also like science."

_Knock_. _Knock_.

Alexis sighed. "Keep eating, Grandma will be right back."

She tucked Scout's hair behind her ear before heading to the front. She opened the door and Jason stood there in his leather jacket.

Alexis chewed the inside of her cheek then said, "Hi Jason."

"Hey, I talked to Ryan today."

"You did? And?"

"I got a name. Peter August framed Sam."

She sighed in relief and ran her hands through her hair. "Thank goodness. I mean, poor Anna. But we can get Sam off. I'll let Diane know."

"I already did."

"Good. Thank you."

"Also, I've come to take the kids home," he said.

Alexis' eyes grew wide. "Excuse me?"

"Things have settled down again."

"So, you want to keep uprooting them every five weeks until Sonny and Carly need you to solve their problems?"

"That's not really what—"

"I'm sorry, Jason. I can't allow you to take Scout, you have no right to her, and she's made it very clear she doesn't want to go with you. If Danny wants to spend time with you, I'll allow it unless Sam says otherwise, but he needs consistency in his life. And Sam said she wants them to stay with me."

GHGHGH

Alexis held Scout's hand as Annabelle the second dragged them along the sidewalk.

"Do you know…" Alexis breathed heavily. "How your brother gets her to be so calm?"

"Because he's calm."

Alexis sighed and the leash jerked forward. "Oh, so Grandma's the problem…"

The dog pulled them onto the grass and squatted down.

Scout stuck out her lower lip. "Why did… why did Danny's daddy take Danny away?"

"Oh Cookie, they are only spending a couple hours together. He's bringing him back."

"The car isn't going to hit Danny?"

Alexis knelt down to her level and ran her finger's through Scout's hair. "No, the car won't hit Danny.

Annabelle the second began to bark and pulled forward causing Alexis to fall flat on the grass. How such a small dog had that much strength, she hadn't a clue! An arm reached down and helped her to her feet.

"Are you okay, Alexis?" Lucas asked as the dog jumped on his leg.

She smiled at him. "Oh yes, thank you. I'm just not very good with dogs." She looked down at Wiley sitting in the stroller. "Hi Wiley."

Scout hugged his leg. "Uncle Lucas!"

"Hey, Scout." He turned to Alexis. "I'm sorry I stormed out like that last week."

"Don't apologize, it was completely understandable."

Scout lifted Wiley's stuffed giraffe and started playing with him.

"It's just if what Dad said is true… then not only is my marriage a lie, but that also means Wiley is Michael's. I can't lose my family."

She nodded. "I know. You're the only family Wiley knows. But think about Michael. He believes his son is dead."

He sighed. "I don't know what to do."

"Well, I think the right thing to do would be to talk to Brad about it. Then talk to Michael. You might need to get a DNA test. I know it's hard, but you and Michael are family. Maybe you can come up with an agreement."

GHGHGH

Sam leaned back in the chair and sighed in relief. "So, Jason and Spinelli have the evidence that it was Peter?"

Alexis nodded. "And your trial is only a few weeks away. You just need to keep strong and persevere."

"Yes, we're almost there," Diane said.

"Diane?" Sam muttered. "I'm sorry, but I want to drop you as my lawyer."

Diane gasped and placed her hand over her chest. "Did I do something wrong?"

Sam shook her head. "No. You've been great, and I thank you." She turned to Alexis. "But I want my mom to be my lawyer. I should have asked her to begin with. I just… I felt ashamed."

Alexis began to tear up and squeezed Sam's hand.

GHGHGH

After putting Danny and Scout to bed, Alexis leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes. At least things were looking brighter for Sam. And she would be right beside her fighting to free her during the trial. She couldn't wait to tell Julian.

Banging on the door drew her attention and she sat up straight. The door swung open and Carly stormed in.

"You think you can keep Jason's kids away from him!?"

Alexis rolled her eyes.

"You just want to control everything and everyone."

"Actually, that position is reserved for you…" Alexis muttered.

"And you actually told Jason that he has no right to Scout? Who are you to say that to him?"

Alexis stood and held her head high. "I am her grandmother and the only consistent person in her life right now. She doesn't know Jason and what she does know about him she's afraid of."

She laughed. "Afraid of Jason? The only chance of that happening is if you _made_ her afraid of him."

Alexis shook her head. "Since he re-entered her mother's life people keep disappearing, especially her mother. She doesn't want to see him."

"Fine, but Danny is Jason's."

"I won't let them be separated. Plus, Sam told me she wants them with me."

"Probably because you manipulated her! You just want them all away from Jason. You want them all to yourself so you can mold them into your image—"

"Carly, stop." Lucas stood in the doorway holding Wiley in one arm and carrying a suitcase with his free hand. "Sam also told me that she wants the kids to stay with Alexis, so save your breath."

"Lucas, what's going on?" Carly asked. "Why do you have a suitcase?"

"Go find Michael. He needs you right now. He'll explain."

"Okay, I will." She turned to Alexis. "This isn't over. Those kids belong with Jason." She walked out and closed the door.

Alexis looked at Lucas. "Are you okay?"

He shrugged. "Is my dad here?"

"He's working tonight. What's going on?"

"I took your advice. I confronted Brad and he admitted everything. Michael knows. We did a DNA test to confirm."

"Wow, Lucas. I'm proud of you."

"Michael agreed I keep Wiley until we can figure things out. But he wants to be in his life. Willow is devastated. She's made so many sacrifices for him. She's the only mother that Wiley knows."

"And Brad?"

The colour drained from his face. "I can't even look at him right now. I know Dad is living here now… would it be okay if Wiley and I stay here until we figure things out?"

"Yes, of course." She hugged him. "Stay as long as you need to."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Alexis and Lucas sat back on the couch and Wiley toddled around exploring the living room when Julian returned home. He stood by the doorway staring at Lucas for several seconds, before his son made his way over to hug him.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I should have listened to you," Lucas said.

"Well, you must have. And I should have told you sooner."

"You were in a bad position. It's Nelle and Brad's fault."

Wiley started to yawn, and Alexis picked him up. "Well this little guy is getting sleepy."

Julian's eyes went to the suitcase. "Are you and Wiley staying here?"

Lucas nodded. "Alexis said we could. Is that okay with you?"

Julian grinned. "Of course."

"We have five bedrooms," Alexis said, handing Wiley to Lucas. "I bought bunk beds last week for Danny and Leo, but Leo is only here on weekends. Wiley could share a room with Scout. I still have Leo's crib stored in the basement. Then you and Julian can each have your own room. The only thing is when Sam gets out of prison, I don't know if she's returning to Jason, but I want to have a room here for her if she wants it."

"Well perhaps by then, I could be bunking with you." Julian winked at her.

Alexis felt her cheeks turn pink.

Lucas scrunched his face. "Ew… don't talk about bunking together in front of me and Wiley. But it sounds like you have quite the full house…" Lucas said, rubbing his son's back. "Sam's trial is a few weeks away, if we stayed that long I'm afraid we'd wear out our welcome."

"You could never wear out your welcome," Alexis said.

"I'm not sure what the future holds. I'm meeting with Michael and Willow tomorrow to discuss things."

"Willow's not wanting to stay in Wiley's life, is she?" Julian asked. "She has no right to him."

"She may not have legal rights," Alexis said. "So, it's just Michael you'd have to worry about. But Willow has made a lot of sacrifices for Wiley and really cares for him."

"Yeah," Lucas said. "I'm not worried about her at this point. I think she still wants to visit with him and stuff. But she and Michael have started dating, so that's partly why she'll be there."

"He better not try to take Wiley from you," Julian said. "You are his father in every way that matters."

"I know where you're coming from," Alexis said. "But we didn't raise Sam and Lucas, doesn't mean we love them any less."

"Whose side are you on?" Julian snapped.

"I'm on Lucas' side. Calm down. But I can empathize with Michael."

Julian shook his head. "I'm sorry, Lex. I shouldn't have snapped at you. I just don't want to see Lucas lose Wiley."

"Michael and I will figure it out," Lucas said. "But I was wondering if you guys could watch Wiley tomorrow afternoon?"

"I go to work at 3," Julian said.

"I don't mind," Alexis said. "But I would encourage you to have legal representation with you. I'd be happy to go with you. We could have Kristina or Molly watch the kids."

"Thanks," Lucas said, Wiley falling asleep in his arms. "But we want to try to figure this out on our own first. I'll let you know if I need a lawyer later."

GHGHGH

"All right, Wiley," Lucas said, handing his son to Alexis. "Daddy'll be back later."

Wiley looked up at Lucas, his lip started to tremble, then he started to scream.

"Oh boy, I better go," Lucas said.

"He'll be fine," Alexis said, bouncing Wiley on her hip.

Lucas grabbed his jacket, waved at Wiley, then left. As soon as the door shut, Wiley stopped screaming and pointed at a picture of Danny and Scout. "Gout."

Alexis laughed and brought him closer to the picture. "You like your cousin Scout?"

Scout ran into the living room, Julian following.

"I think we're set," Julian said.

"Where are we going?" Scout asked.

"We're taking Grandpa to work, then we're picking up Danny from school."

Wiley pointed at Scout. "Gout."

Julian held Scout's coat out for her.

She took it from him. "I can do it, Grandpa!"

He smiled. "Wow, all by yourself."

They piled out to the driveway and Alexis buckled Wiley into his car seat. "Honestly, no coats in car seats. He'll freeze."

"He's not the only one frozen," Julian said.

Alexis closed the back door of the car and looked up at Scout. She stood several feet from the car, mouth slightly dropped, and face pale.

"Oh, Cookie." Alexis made her way over to her and knelt at her level. "There's nothing to be afraid of. You are safe driving with me and Grandpa."

"NO!" she screamed and darted to the porch. She dropped down and huddled into a ball crying.

Alexis handed Julian the keys. "Can you warm up the car?"

"Sure."

Alexis knelt down beside Scout on the porch and stroked her hair. "You haven't been in a car since the accident and I know it's scary."

"Danny's daddy gonna hit you too."

She sighed. "Danny's daddy didn't hit Grandma Monica, and I'm not going to leave you. Grandma and Grandpa will be in the front seat making sure nothing bad happens. And Wiley will be right beside you. You will be safe."

"NO!"

Alexis wiped away the tears forming in her own eyes. "You know what? Grandma has an idea. Can you come inside with me for a moment?"

Scout lifted her head and sat up. "Yeah."

Alexis took her hand and led her inside to the kitchen. She opened one of the cupboards and pulled out a plastic bag. "Grandma wanted to give you this for Christmas, but I think I can give it to you now."

Scout looked inside the bag and pulled out a stuffed dalmation.

"This is Dotty," Alexis said. "She is a very special protector dog. If you take her wherever you go, even on car rides, she'll keep you safe."

Scout sniffled and hugged the dog close. "She won't let Danny's daddy hit us?"

She shook her head. "It wasn't Danny's—No. He won't hit you."

Scout slipped her hand in Alexis'. "Okay."

"Are you ready to go in the car now?"

Scout nodded. "With Dotty."

Alexis smiled.


	16. Chapter 16

Hi there. I've been focusing heavily on Lucas and Wiley, but after this the next little bit will be the Julexis ship taking off. I've been trying to do a slow build, but anchors aweigh this moment forward. Then we'll really get into Sam's stuff. Thanks again for all the comments. Hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 16**

Danny and Scout rolled around on the floor of the living room with Wiley. Danny picked up Wiley and lay flat on his back lifting his little cousin in the air. Wiley kicked his legs and giggled.

"Be careful with Wiley," Alexis said, cleaning up the blocks scattered around the room.

Scout mimicked her brother and rolled over onto her back holding her stuffed dog above her.

There was a knock on the door, then the door opened. It was Lucas, followed by Michael and Willow.

Alexis lifted another block and looked over at them.

"Hi," Wiley said in his high voice.

"Hey, buddy," Lucas said.

Danny sat up and Wiley walked over to Lucas.

Lucas scooped him up and kissed the top of his head. "Listen, you're going to go have dinner with Michael and Willow. They both love you very much and want to spend more time with you. But you're going to come back and sleep here tonight, all right?"

Wiley placed his hand on Lucas' nose. "Dada."

"I'll be right here when you get back." He kissed his head again and handed him to Michael.

Willow rubbed Wiley's back. Bags drooped from her puffy eyes, likely from mourning her baby.

Michael smiled at him. "Hey Wiley. We're going to have fun tonight, okay?"

"We'll bring him back in a couple of hours," Willow said.

Michael turned to Lucas. "Thank you."

Lucas nodded.

Alexis grabbed Wiley's coat, soother, and diaper bag and handed them to Willow. "He'll need these.

"Okay, we'll be back soon," Michael said before they left.

Lucas let out a deep breath and plopped on the couch.

"Danny, why don't you get started on your homework and Scout, go play in your room for a bit," Alexis suggested.

Danny squinted his eyes at Lucas but nodded. "Okay, come on Scout." He took her hand and took her upstairs.

Alexis sat next to Lucas and folded her hands on her lap. "What happened?"

"We've decided on a joint custody agreement. But it's going to be gradual."

"Gradual how?"

Lucas sighed. "Michael's going to take him out a couple times a week, then start taking him one a night a week. Eventually he's going to have him every weekend. He knows Wiley loves me and doesn't want to destroy his world, but he said he can't just walk away either. He wants it to be gradual so Wiley can adjust more easily. He did say though that he doesn't want Brad in his son's life. He's angry with him and Nelle… which I am too actually."

"And you don't think you can forgive Brad?"

"For kidnapping a child and lying to me about it for fifteen months? I don't think so… I don't know." He folded his hands behind his neck. "Not right now, anyway. And especially not if it means choosing between him and Wiley. I'll always choose Wiley."

"You're a good dad, Lucas. So, Michael's fine with keeping the name Wiley?"

He nodded. "He doesn't want to confuse him further. He did ask that we change the middle name to Morgan though. Giving him his brother's name is more important to him than the name Jonah."

"That's understandable. It sounds like you've made good compromises."

Lucas stared off. "Yeah. Good compromises."

"But it's just not the same without Brad, huh?"

He turned to her. "I don't think I want to talk about Brad anymore. I'm not losing Wiley, that's what matters."

Alexis smiled slightly.

"I think I'll head to my room. I need a little down time."

Alexis nodded. "Yeah of course."

He kissed her cheek. "Thank you. For everything."

He made his way upstairs.

Alexis reached over to the end table and lifted Sam's picture, the pit of her stomach empty. "If only I had the same second chance with you baby girl that Michael is getting with Wiley." She hugged the photo close to her chest, tears falling down her cheeks.

Annabelle the second jumped up beside her and rested her head on Alexis' thigh. Alexis patted her head.

GHGHGH

"Are you sure you're okay taking all four kids _and _the dog?" Alexis asked Lucas as she wrapped a scarf around Scout.

"Yes. Dad's at work. You deserve a little down time," Lucas said, pulling mittens onto Wiley's hands. "Going for a hike will be good for them."

Danny and Leo were sitting on the couch, Annabelle the second beside them, arm wrestling on the coffee table. Danny slammed Leo's arm down.

Leo pouted. "You win again! I wish I was as strong as you."

"Come on, boys," Alexis called over to them. "Get your coats on."

The boys ran over and pulled their coats on, the dog trailing behind. Danny attached the leash to Annabelle the second's collar.

"Okay, have fun," Alexis said.

"Wait, I forgot Dotty." Scout frowned.

Alexis grabbed the stuffed dog from a chair and handed it to her. "It's okay, she's right here."

Scout hugged it tightly and followed Lucas and the boys out the door.

Alexis grabbed her laptop and laid on the couch with it propped up on her stomach. She opened up notes on Sam's case. She began to type, but her eyes started to droop, and she drifted.

_"You should have fought to keep me, Mom," Sam drifted further and further away from Alexis, bullets flying around Sam and shackles on her wrists._

_ "I—I couldn't," Alexis cried._

_ "It's all your fault, Grandma." Danny stood next to Sam, pointing a gun at Alexis. "It's your fault that we're on this path._

_ "You gave up our daughter and now look how her life has turned out," Julian called out, standing next to Danny._

_ "No! No! No!" Scout rocked back and forth on the ground, holding her hands to her ears. _

_ "I'm sorry! I didn't want to give her up!" Alexis yelled._

_ "Why didn't you love me enough to keep me?" Sam lifted a wrench and pounded it against her own head._

_ "Sam, please—"_

_ "You failed our daughter. You failed our family," Julian said._

_ Danny pulled the trigger and a bullet flew towards Alexis._

_ "I wanted you! I wanted you! I still do!" _Alexis bolted upright on the couch. She panted heavily, sweat dripped down her face. The throw blanket was wrapped around her and the laptop closed on the coffee table.

She leaned forward and held her head in her hands. There was nothing she could do to make it up to Sam. She would do anything in her power to free her and reunite her with Danny and Scout.

She looked from the blanket to the laptop. She couldn't remember moving the computer or covering herself… she shook her head. She was losing it, that was the only explanation.

Alexis made her way upstairs and stripped her clothes off. She threw them on her bed. What she needed was a cold shower, wash off all the sweat. Get her mind off the dream.

With nothing but her bra and underwear on, she pushed open the bathroom door and screamed.

Julian stood there with nothing but a towel around his waist and he grinned, that sexy grin of his. "Why hello there."

Alexis tried to cover herself with her arms and squeezed her eyes shut. "I—I'm sorry!"

"Why are you sorry? It's not like we haven't seen each other like this before.

"Why are you home so early?"

"We were slow, and Kristina said she'd close tonight. Thought I'd spend some time with Leo, but I noticed none of the kids are here."

"Lucas wanted to give me a break… I'll go get some clothes—"

He touched her cheek and goosebumps prickled her arms. She opened her eyes.

"Is that what you want?" he asked.

"What I what I what?" Alexis gulped, her mouth dry now, and looked into his brown eyes. "What?"

"Do you want to put clothes on?"

"I just I… I… I…" She threw her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his lips.

He returned the kiss and wrapped his arms around her.

She ran her hands through that soft hair of his. That familiar feeling running through her. Then, she pushed him away. "I can't… Kids… home soon." She swallowed hard.

He smirked. "Nice to see you still get speechless around me."

She rushed forward and kissed him again but pulled away just as quickly. "Kids…" She grabbed the doorknob and turned it. She glanced back at Julian and he winked at her.


	17. Chapter 17

Hi everyone, thank you for the comments. To the guest, don't worry, I don't mean Lucas and Wiley are going anywhere, they will still be a big part of the story, as they are part of the Julexis family (it's Kristina and Molly I'm having trouble fitting into the story). I just meant I'm shifting the focus for a bit because I've done a lot with them the past few chapters and want to get going on the Julexis relationship and Sam's stuff (though Carly touches upon the Lucas/Wiley stuff in this chapter). I'm trying to create parallels between Lucas and Sam (though their situations obviously aren't exactly the same).

Does anyone know the layout of Port Charles? I don't really need to know until about 4 or 5 chapters away. But how far are Alexis' house and Jason's penthouse from each other? What places of business or is anyone's home near his penthouse? I know the hospital is 10 blocks from his place, since Sam walked 10 blocks in the rain after having brain surgery to get there, but I'm wondering if anything is closer. Thanks in advance!

**Chapter 17**

Alexis pressed her phone to her ear. "Ric?"

"I haven't heard from Molly in weeks. She won't return any of my calls. Is she okay?"

Alexis sighed. "Physically she's fine."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, she knows about you and Sam."

He paused for a moment, then said, "What? You told her?"

"Sam did. She was kind of hallucinating at the time."

She heard the sound of him punching something and glass breaking. "How could this happen?"

"I've been asking myself that for thirteen years. Just give her some time. She adores you and Sam. She won't be angry forever."

She slipped her phone in her pocket and entered the kitchen. They had another weekend with Leo, and Julian was preparing scrambled eggs as Lucas and the kids sat around the table in their pajamas.

"Good morning," Alexis said and opened the cupboard. "Don't forget your vitamins, kids."

Julian shifted to the side and bounced his hip off Alexis'. Her eyes grew wide and she turned to him. His eyebrows did a little dance. "Kids, your grandma is a health nut."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "They are growing, they need all their nutrients." She walked around the table placing a Flintstones vitamin in front of the each of them, including Lucas.

"Aww." Scout stuck out her lower lip. "I wanted Pebbles."

"I got Bam-bam!" Leo pounded his fist on the table.

Alexis switched Scout's Fred vitamin for Pebbles.

Julian scooped some eggs onto each of their plates and sat next to Alexis. "Health nut."

Alexis playfully hit his arm. "Better than your diet. If you had your way, we'd be eating McDonald's every day."

"That would make life more simple."

"Yeah, Grandma. Can we go to McDonald's?" Danny asked.

Alexis sighed.

"We haven't eaten out in a long time," Julian said, then leaned over brushing his leg against hers. "Health nut."

"Oh geez. How about we go to Kelly's later?" Alexis suggested.

"Kelly's sounds good," Lucas said, breaking up Wiley's toast and taking the vitamin. "Why don't I take you kids there, and Grandpa takes Grandma to the Metro Court?"

Alexis' face went warm.

Danny's face lit up and he looked between Julian and Alexis. "Are you back together?"

"Uhhh, I… well," Alexis stammered.

Julian laughed.

"Grandma and Grandpa love each other," Scout said, eating a spoonful of eggs.

Alexis looked at her breakfast plate to avoid looking at Julian, but he placed his hand on her thigh which made her jerk.

"Oh, come on, guys. It's so obvious. Especially this past week," Lucas said. "The looks you give each other, then Alexis tries to turn away like she's trying to fight it."

"Okay, that's it, go to your room!" Alexis shot at him.

Lucas grinned. "Would you like all of us to, so you can have some alone time with Dad?"

Alexis placed her hand on her forehead.

Julian ran his bare foot up and down her leg and she twitched.

"Is there something on your chair, Grandma?" Scout asked.

"No, Cookie."

Wiley lifted his hand and squeezed it into a fist, then released it, and repeated as he said, "Milk. Milk."

Alexis bolted to her feet, glad for the change of subject. She swung open the fridge door looking for the milk. "Wiley is really good with sign language."

"Yeah, he's only part-time in daycare, but they've taught him a lot," Lucas said.

She bobbed her head up and down and pulled out the orange juice, but there was just no sign of the milk!

"Milk," Wiley repeated.

"What's taking so long, Lex?" Julian asked. "Wiley is really thirsty!"

"I'm looking, I'm looking!" Alexis began pulling out Tupperware dishes and other cartons.

The kids began to giggle.

"Must be way at the back," Julian said.

"If Wiley doesn't get his milk it'll ruin his whole day," Lucas said.

"Milk. Milk," Wiley said.

Alexis threw her hands over her face.

Julian appeared beside her and closed the fridge door. He reached in front of her and lifted a sippy cup from the counter and dangled it in front of her. "Lucas had it ready before you came down. This is the last of the milk."

She smacked chest. "Thanks a lot!"

Alexis turned and Lucas and the kids were laughing so hard they almost fell off their chairs. Even Wiley giggled a little, though surely he didn't know what was so funny.

"You're funny, Lexie," Leo said.

Alexis mock laughed. "Oooh, soo funny."

Julian leaned against the fridge. "So, what do you say, Lex? I'll pick you up at 7?"

She rolled her eyes. "Pick me up? You live here."

He smiled. "Is that a yes?"

She looked over at Lucas and the kids, wide smiles on their faces. "Okay, yes." She yanked the sippy cup from Julian and handed it to Wiley.

Wiley smiled at her and said, "Gamma."

GHGHGH

Julian helped Alexis remove her coat unveiling her blue dress. He wore his finest suit and pulled a chair out for her. "Milady."

"Thank you," she said as she sat.

Julian sat across from her and smiled. "You are so beautiful tonight. Though I did prefer your look last week."

She blushed. "You mean in the bathroom?"

He grinned. "I hope you accidentally walk in on me the next time I get out of the shower."

"Or maybe next time it won't be accidental."

He raised an eyebrow. "I like the sound of that."

The elevators door opened, and Carly walked out. Alexis put her head down on the table hoping she wouldn't see them. She walked over to the bar.

Julian turned. "Don't worry about Carly. Let's just focus on us."

"Yeah but last time I saw her she laid it into me for keeping the kids away from Jason. And since then, her newly discovered grandson is living with us."

"Maybe we should have picked a different restaurant."

Alexis shook her head. "No, I don't want to avoid things because of her. I just wish our lives weren't so intertwined with her and Sonny."

Carly turned from the bar and headed back to the elevators.

"Oh good, she's leaving," Alexis said and looked into Julian's eyes.

He reached for her hand and squeezed it. "I've missed you Alexis. I've missed us."

She swallowed hard. "Me too."

"I know I hurt you and I hurt the kids, and I'm so sorry."

She stared down at the table, then looked back at him. "It did hurt. But… I know why you did it. Just next time… please come to me. Then we can take things on together."

"Does that mean we are together?"

She smiled slightly. "I hope so."

"Me too." His eyes began to well with tears. "Because you're everything to me, Lex. I love our family together. But most of all, I love you. I've never stopped."

Tears sprang to her eyes as well. "I love you too, you silly man."

"Shut up and kiss me."

He cupped her face in his hands and leaned forward. Their lips barely an inch apart—

"Are you kidding me!?"

They broke apart and saw Carly standing over them.

She glowered at them. "First you steal Jason's kids, and now you're having an abuser living with them _and_ _my grandson for that matter_?"

Alexis sighed. "He's not an abuser. You don't know the circumstances."

She laughed. "The circumstances? If you fall for that, then you're pretty pathetic. I don't want my grandson near him."

"He's my grandson too," Julian said.

"I love my brother, but as I told Michael, Wiley belongs with him as sole guardian. And you of all people should understand that because of Sam."

"The key difference between Wiley and Sam's situations," Julian said, "is that Wiley has a devoting and loving father, not like that abusing jerk that raised Sam."

"But both Michael and Lucas will have a place in Wiley's life," Alexis added. "He deserves to know both of them. That's what Michael and Lucas agreed on."

"Besides, didn't you keep Michael from his father and give him to Sonny?" Julian asked.

"That was to protect him," Carly said.

"Protect him by giving him to a mobster?" Alexis asked. "And while we're on the subject… why was it okay for you to protect Michael from AJ but not for me to protect Kristina from Sonny? And now Danny and Scout from Jason?"

Carly shook her head. "You are such a hypocrite. You just want to keep everyone away from Sonny and Jason and give them to men like Julian."

"Julian has turned his life around. He's out of the mob and puts his family first."

"You know what, Alexis, I think we should bring our business elsewhere after all," Julian said. "Why support a restaurant owner that disturbs her customers that way?"

"I think that's a splendid idea."

"Good," Carly said. "I don't want your business." She turned and headed back to the bar.

Julian and Alexis grabbed their coats and made for the elevator and made their way outside.

Brisk air met their faces as snow blew hard every which way. Alexis took a deep breath. "I hate that woman."

Julian stepped closer to her and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Forget about her."

She smiled slightly. "You're right." She leaned forward and kissed him slowly as the snow continued to fall on them.


	18. Chapter 18

Thanks, I read somewhere that the Metro Court is right across from Jason's penthouse, so I'll go with that. A couple more lighthearted chapters then we'll really get into the drama. Enjoy!

**Chapter 18**

"All Port Charles' schools and daycares are closed due to inclement weather," Alexis read from her phone, then stared out the boys' window at the blizzard.

"YES!" Danny and Leo jumped up and down next to their bunk beds and high-fived each other.

"I'll text your mom Leo, since she always picks up after school on Mondays," Alexis said. "But I know she works during the day. We'll probably take you home later."

"Can we stay in our PJs today, Grandma?" Danny asked.

Leo folded his hands in front of him. "Pleeease."

She laughed, looking down at her white nightgown. "Sure, we'll all have a pajama day."

"Yay!" the boys said in unison.

"I better go see if Scout and Wiley are up yet. They never sleep past 7."

Alexis made her way out of the boys' room and walked into Scout and Wiley's. Scout sat at the edge of her bed giggling while Julian held Wiley under the arms and zoomed him around the room.

"Good morning," Alexis said, smiling.

"Grandma, Wiley was flying!" Scout said.

Alexis laughed and leaned against Wiley's crib. "Was he now?"

"Grandpa better get you ready for daycare, Wiley," Julian said. "Daddy had to work early today. Though I don't know why you still have to go when Lex and I are both here."

"No need. Snow day today," Alexis said. "All schools and daycares are closed. No one's going anywhere."

Julian shifted Wiley to his opposite arm and kissed Alexis. "Well that's a treat."

GHGHGH

Alexis stood in the kitchen, washing the dishes, as she watched Julian and the kids through the window as they played outside. It was still snowing, but not as hard.

Wiley simply sat there in his blue one-piece snowsuit and didn't budge since they got out there. Julian was lying down, Scout in her pink butterfly snowsuit sitting on top of his stomach, while Danny and Leo buried him in the snow.

Scout climbed down from Julian and ran inside the house.

"Hey, Cookie," Alexis said, drying the last dish.

Scout walked over to her, leaving a trail of slush on the tiled floor. "Will you come play with us?"

Alexis sighed. "Grandma doesn't have very warm clothes."

She stuck out her lower lip. "Please."

"Oh okay." Alexis grabbed her jacket, hat, and gloves and followed Scout outside.

She walked past Wiley, his eyebrows pulled down together and lips closed tight, obviously not happy to be confined in his snowsuit. Danny and Leo jumped on top of Julian.

"Ugh!" Julian groaned and sat up after they slid off him, laughing. "That hurt… I think I need someone to kiss it better." He grabbed Alexis' hand and pulled her to the ground with him.

She screamed. "What are you doing!?"

He rolled on top of her and kissed her.

"Eeeeewww," Danny and Leo whined.

Alexis smacked Julian's shoulder. "I'm not properly dressed! At least you have snow pants."

"Don't worry, I'll keep you warm." He kissed her again and she gave in.

"Eeeewww," Leo repeated.

"You guys are gross," Danny said.

"Grandma and Grandpa love each other," Scout said.

Alexis laughed, her lips still pressed to Julian's, when her phone began to ring. She scrambled to her feet and pulled it from her pocket. The Port Charles Courthouse displayed on the screen. "I have to take this."

She moved closer to the house and answered it. "Alexis Davis."

"Hello, this is the Port Charles Courthouse. We'd like to inform you that the Samantha McCall trial has been postponed until Tuesday, December 24th."

Alexis' heart sank. "But that's Christmas Eve."

"It is scheduled for 1 o'clock. Please be there at least 30 minutes prior."

Alexis tucked her phone away.

"Everything okay, Lex?" Julian asked.

Alexis turned to him. He and the kids looking over. Her eyes began to well and she hastened inside. Without removing her outdoor apparel or changing her wet pants, she dropped on the couch, sobbing into the cushion.

She heard the backdoor shut, a few voices, and a few minutes later Julian was sitting on the coffee table. "What's wrong?"

She pushed away her tears with the back of her hand. "You left the kids outside alone?"

"Danny took them upstairs. Now don't change the subject. What was that phone call?"

Alexis squeezed her eyes shut and more tears spilled down her cheeks. "They moved Sam's trial to Christmas Eve."

He sighed. "Well, that's only a month away. She's been there this long, she's tough. She'll make it through another month."

She hugged the cushion, still lying on her stomach. "I've been trying so hard to stay strong for the kids."

He began to rub her back. "You are strong."

"But I feel like I'm breaking inside. I don't want to wait any longer for her to come home. And Christmas Eve… what if it lasts more than one day? Then she won't be here for Christmas."

"You and Diane have built a strong case in her favour. And even Jason has good evidence. She'll be home for Christmas."

"You don't know that."

"Okay, say she isn't, then we'll celebrate it when she does get home. We'll make it really special."

She rubbed her eyes. "Look at me… I'm feeling sorry for myself, but I should be thinking about Danny and Scout. They'll be devastated if she's not here for Christmas."

"You're always thinking about them. You need to think of yourself too. Go Christmas shopping with Diane or something. Get your mind off things."

She laughed a little. "Normal stuff… I feel like that's all I've been doing since Sam went to prison. Except it's all on autopilot."

"I've seen you with the kids. You're definitely not on autopilot, you're very real with them."

"I love having Danny and Scout here so much. But…"

"It's not the same without Sam, I know. She'll be home soon."

"But that's what I'm afraid of," Alexis said. "That she'll go back to Jason and we'll be back in this spot a year from now."

He sighed. "Then we'll be there and support her through it. That's all we can do. She's too much like her mother."

She rolled her eyes. "Really? I think she's like her father."

"Maybe some of her choices and love of adventure, but her stubbornness is all you." He winked at her.


	19. Chapter 19

Hi everyone. Two chapters in one night, I'm on a roll! But this is a shorter one. Next chapter will start Sam's trial. But it's the scenes after the trial I'm most looking forward to. Enjoy!

**Chapter 19**

The mall was filled with anxious people looking for that perfect Christmas gift. Lights and garland drooped from the kiosks. Scout skipped happily beside Diane and Alexis as Alexis pushed Wiley's stroller, shopping bags hanging from it. It was the middle of December and Sam's trial was only a week away.

"How are all the kids?" Diane asked.

"Doing a lot better," Alexis said. "Danny got his report card, mostly Bs. It's a big improvement for him. He was near failing since all the changes in his life. I know he's capable of even more. But I'm proud of him for bringing his marks up like that."

"I think his grandma has been rubbing off on him."

"Maybe." Alexis read over her list of what to buy. "Okay, so I have everything for Julian, Sam, Kristina, Molly, Danny, and Scout. Just need something for Lucas, Leo, and Wiley. I also want to get something for Spencer and Charlotte, even though I don't see them often."

"And I just need a sexy pair of briefs for Max," Diane said.

"_Diane_, not in front of Scout."

But Scout was in a daze. She stared ahead at a crowd lined up around the mall's version of the North Pole. Her eyes grew wide and she tugged on Alexis' shirt. "Grandma? I need to talk to Santa."

Alexis smiled. "That's a great idea. We'll get a picture of you and Wiley on his lap."

She pushed the strolled and they joined the line. After several minutes they reached the front of the line and an elf stepped towards them.

"Are you kids ready to meet Santa?" the elf asked them.

"Yeah," Scout said shyly.

Alexis lifted Wiley from the stroller and set him on Santa's lap. He wailed and reached for Alexis. She picked him back up and he rested his head on her shoulder. "Maybe next year."

Scout climbed onto Santa's lap and looked up at him.

"What would you like for Christmas…" He looked up at Alexis and she mouthed _Scout_. "…Scout?"

Her face lit up and she smiled. "Grandma, he knows my name."

"Of course, he does, he's Santa Claus," Alexis said.

"What would you like for Christmas?" he repeated.

"This is really very important, Santa." She looked up at him seriously. "I want Mommy to come home for Christmas."

Alexis felt her eyes sting with tears.

"And I want my grandma to wake up from her nap," Scout said. "She's been napping a really really long time."

Diane stepped closer to them. "Alexis, why don't you stand next to Santa and hold Wiley. I'll take a picture. Sam and Lucas will love to see it."

Alexis moved closer and bent over a little as Diane took the picture on her phone.

GHGHGH

Molly dipped a fry into ketchup and Kristina took a bite of her salad as they sat around a table at Kelly's with Alexis.

"So next week is Sam's trial," Alexis said.

Molly stared at her lap.

"It's on Christmas Eve and Julian and Lucas both want to be there," Alexis said. "Michael is taking Wiley but will meet us at the hospital Christmas party. Ned and Olivia are going to visit Brooklyn over Christmas so we'll have Leo. We need someone to babysit him, Danny, and Scout, then take them to the Christmas party later."

"Well I'm going to the trial," Kristina spoke up right away. "I'm going to be there for Sam, so you'll have to find another sitter."

Alexis smiled proudly at her and stroked her hair. "That'll mean so much to your sister."

Molly remained quiet.

Alexis turned to her. "If you would like to go too, I can ask Michael to take all the kids or I can find someone else—."

"I'll watch the kids," Molly said barely above a whisper.

Alexis sighed but nodded. "Okay, thank you."

"What is wrong with you?" Kristina raised her voice. "Our sister needs us right now and you're just sitting in your little hole feeling sorry for yourself!"

Molly began to chew her lip, not looking at either of them.

"Kristina, it's her choice," Alexis said. "Babysitting will be a big help to me and to Sam."


	20. Chapter 20

Hello everyone, so this is quite a long chapter. Please bear with me, I'm not a huge fan of courtroom dramas, hate shows like the People's court. I don't mind them on soaps, but I'm totally foreign to them. Did a bit of research through google and watched a couple court scenes on GH for inspiration. I hope I'm covering the right spots. There's quite a bit of focus on the Davis girls in this chapter, and of course Sam's trial. I'm finally figuring out how Krissy and Molly fit into this story lol. More to come!

**Chapter 20**

Alexis folded the new clothes and pajamas she bought for Sam and tucked them away in the dresser. She didn't want to go to Jason's penthouse to get her things because she didn't even know if Sam would be coming home with them. She looked in the long vertical mirror hanging on the wall and straightened her pencil skirt over her pantyhose. She sat at the edge of the bed and lifted the photo of Sam with Danny and Scout from the night table. She hugged it close to her chest, when an arm slipped around her.

"I moved the last of my things to your… I mean, _our_ bedroom." Julian smiled at her in his suit and blue tie.

She nodded. "Am I being too naïve to think she might come home with us?"

"No, you're just providing her a room if she needs it."

Alexis sighed. "Because I have this dreaded feeling in the pit of my stomach that she's going to go right back to Jason."

"Then we'll see her through it. She'll know that she can always come here," Julian said. "I think we should head downstairs now. Kristina and Molly are here."

He took her hand and held it as they headed down the stairs to the living room. Scout was sitting on Kristina's lap, with Danny and Leo on each side of her and Molly was standing holding Wiley.

Alexis smiled. "Hi girls."

"Hi Mom." Kristina took Scout off her lap and walked over to her. "Do you mind if I ride with you guys to the courthouse? Chase dropped me off and he's going to meet us at the hospital later."

"Yeah of course."

"Also, I got a subpoena yesterday from Martin Gray."

Alexis sighed. "I'm surprised you didn't get one sooner."

"Yeah, he wants me to tell the court all about Dawn of Day and how Sam conned her way through. All because she was planning to kill Shiloh all along because he got me involved in it."

Alexis squeezed her eyes shut. "Oh gosh."

Kristina grinned. "But he doesn't know what's coming to him. I'm going to use my testimony for Sam's gain."

Alexis smiled and hugged her. "I'm so proud of you." She rubbed her back, then let go. "Molly, can I talk to you in the kitchen for a moment?"

"Yeah, sure." She handed Wiley to Julian and followed Alexis to the kitchen.

Alexis reached for some of Molly's hair and twirled it between her fingers. "How are you doing, sweetie?"

Molly shrugged and put her hands in her pockets. "I'm okay."

"If you want to stay here with the kids, it's fine. But there's still time. Michael's not coming until 12:30 to get Wiley. We can still ask him to take all of them if you want to come to the trial."

Molly shook her head and lowered her gaze. "I can't."

Alexis lifted Molly's chin so that their eyes locked. "Do you know what my two biggest regrets are?"

Molly sighed. "Giving up Sam. I don't know what else though."

"That's right. But my other biggest regret is not talking to your sister right away after that night. Instead, I let resentment grow inside of me and I treated Sam terribly."

"Didn't you have cancer at the time?"

Alexis nodded. "And it caused me to be extra emotional and clouded some of my judgment… but that still didn't give me the right to shut out my daughter like that."

Molly scrunched her face. "I think you had pretty good reason to."

She shook her head. "No, I didn't. As a mother, even if your child commits the worst thing imaginable, you don't push them away like that."

"But you didn't completely push her away. You always kept her with us, and you were always there for me. I witnessed that firsthand."

"Maybe physically, but emotionally I pushed her away," Alexis said. "Anyway, what I'm trying say is we all make mistakes. We're all human."

"But she had… had… with _my father_. Was she even thinking of me when she did that?"

"No. She didn't do it to hurt you, she did it to hurt me. And I think it was a self-destructive sort of comfort because I yelled at her just before that. I said very mean things to her because I felt she was wasting her life when mine was ending."

"Because you just found out you had cancer," Molly said.

"Yeah. Now I just told you my biggest regrets. But the best thing I ever did, next to having you three girls, is forgive Sam."

Molly stared at the floor again.

"Because all that resentment, all that bitterness, all that anger was standing in the way of having a relationship with my daughter. When I looked at her, I kept seeing that terrible mistake she made, but when I got past all that, it was a long, long road, but I saw my daughter at the end of the tunnel. I don't want you to miss out on the big sister who has always been there for you because of one awful and hurtful mistake she made years ago."

Molly teared up and locked eyes with Alexis again. "I don't know if I can do it. I don't know if I can be as forgiving a person as you."

"I believe you can. It doesn't have to be today. It can be on your time, but I really hope you can. Otherwise it's going to eat you up inside."

Molly swallowed hard. "You guys should get going."

Alexis hugged her. "I love you."

"I love you too."

When they returned to the living room, Lucas, dressed in a suit, was holding Wiley. "Are you ready to go?" he asked.

Alexis nodded. "I think so." She knelt in front of Danny and Scout. "We'll see you at the hospital Christmas party later, okay?"

Danny leaned forward and hugged her. "Please bring Mom home."

"Don't worry, Danny," Scout said. "Mommy will be home for Christmas. I asked Santa to bring her home."

GHGHGH

Alexis rubbed Sam's back as they took their seats. "Are you ready for this?"

Sam had put on a little more weight since Alexis last saw her and her cheeks were rosy. "As ready as I can get."

The doors in the back of the courtroom swung open and Martin Gray walked in. He didn't pay them any attention but took his seat and started to dig through his briefcase.

Alexis leaned over to Sam and whispered, "We've got this."

Julian, Lucas, and Kristina walked in and Sam smiled slightly, but then frowned. "Is Molly coming?"

Alexis sighed. "Molly's watching the kids."

Sam lowered her gaze. "In other words, she's still angry with me."

"Sam, she just needs some time. I think if the two of you have a good talk when you get home, then you girls can get past this."

The doors opened once more and Jason, Spinelli, and Diane walked in. Sam's eyes grew wide and she smiled at Jason.

Alexis massaged her temples. She couldn't let that get to her now… right now she had to focus on freeing Sam.

The next person to walk in was the bailiff. "Everyone please rise for the honourable Judge Lasser."

Everyone in the room rose as the judge took her position at the front. "In the matter of the state of New York vs Samantha McCall, we have Martin Gray for the prosecution and Alexis Davis for the defense. Samantha McCall has been charged for the murder of David Henry Archer. To this charge, the defendant has entered a plea of not guilty under self-defense. Mr. Gray, you may call your first witness."

"Thank you, your honour" Martin rose. "I'd like to call Kristina Corinthos-Davis"

Kristina went up to the stand, exchanging glances with Alexis and Sam.

The bailiff stood in front of her and held out a Bible. "Please raise your right hand."

Kristina raised her right hand and placed her left on the Bible.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God, under pains and penalties of perjury?"

"I do." Kristina took a seat.

Martin folded his hands behind his back and paced back and forth. "Miss Corinthos-Davis, please state your relationship to the defendant."

"She's my older half-sister."

"And would you say you two are close?"

"Yes, we're close."

He scratched his chin. "And would you say that your sister would do anything for you?"

"Yeah, she would."

"Including murder?"

Alexis jumped up. "Objection, your honour. The counsel's question calls for speculation and not the witness' own knowledge of fact."

"Sustained," the judge said.

Alexis took her seat.

"So, Miss Cortinthos-Davis," Martin continued. "Tell me how you got involved with Dawn of Day."

"Well, I was lost and my friend at the time, Daisy, introduced me to D.O.D. I ended up living there and became mesmerized by Shiloh."

"And how did your family feel about you joining D.O.D.?"

"They were worried about me and most of them knew right away that it was a cult."

"And does most of them include your sister, Samantha?"

"Yeah."

"But she didn't let on right away that she felt this way, correct?"

"Well, no, but—"

"Is it true that she joined Dawn of Day herself knowing full well it was a cult?" Martin asked.

"Yeah, but—"

"And the reason she joined was to find evidence against David Henry Archer and to ultimately kill him?"

"Objection, your honour." Alexis interrupted. "He's badgering the witness and once again calling for speculation."

"The last part is sustained, but I'll allow the first part of the question," the judge said. "Mr. Gray, please repeat the first part of the question."

"Miss Corinthos-Davis, was the reason that Samantha McCall joined Dawn of Day, was to gather evidence against David Henry Archer?"

"Yes," Kristina said. "And to protect me—"

"No further questions, your honour."

Alexis took his spot and leaned against the stand. "Kristina, has Sam ever confided in you that she wanted to kill David Henry Archer?"

"No."

"So, in your opinion, do you think it was pre-meditated?"

"Objection, your honour," Martin bolted to his feet. "The question calls for speculation."

"Sustained," the judge said.

"I'll re-phrase. Did Sam show any behasviour in your presence to indicate that she was pre-planning his murder?"

"No. She just wanted to gather enough evidence to end D.O.D. and send Shiloh to jail."

Alexis smiled at her. "No further questions, your honour."

"Mr. Gray, your next witness?" the judge asked.

"Your honour, the prosecution would like to call Jason Morgan," Martin said.

All heads turned as Jason made his way up to the stand.

"Mr. Morgan, please state your relationship to the defendant."

"Well, she's technically my ex-wife," Jason said. "She's also the mother of my son and we have since gotten back together."

"And is it true that you knew all along that Samantha was conning David Henry Archer to gather evidence against him?"

"Yes."

"And you were working together to bring him down?"

"Yes."

"And did Samantha ever disclose to you her feelings towards David Henry Archer?"

"Yes."

"And what were they?" Martin asked.

"She despised him."

"Why?"

"For targeting Kristina and other women."

"No further questions, your honour." Martin returned to his seat.

Alexis took the floor and folded her hands in front of her. "Mr. Morgan, can you please explain to the court the events that took place leading up to David Henry Archer's death?"

"Yes. He kidnapped the child he then believed to be his son and held Sam and a teenaged boy named Dev hostage. Sam convinced him to let Dev and Wiley go. When I arrived, he was getting very violent with Sam and attempted to rape her—"

Alexis threw her hand over her mouth and gasped.

"So, I shot him, and we got away. We didn't realize he had a bulletproof vest though, and he took it off. He attacked me with a bludgeon, but Sam grabbed a flare gun and shot him in the back which sent him overboard."

Alexis nodded. "Now, Mr. Morgan, is it true you recently visited Ryan Chamberlain in Pentonville?"

"Yes. He told me that Bryce Henderson disclosed to him the name of the person who has been framing Sam prior to Ryan killing him. Peter August has been trying to make it look like Shiloh's death was pre-meditated by Sam."

Alexis returned to the table and lifted a folder. "Your honour, this is the evidence that Jason Morgan and Damien Spinelli have gathered against Peter August. Including the audio file that he manipulated using Sam's voice." She handed it to the judge.

"I have no further questions, your honour." She returned to her seat.

Sam squeezed Alexis' hand and smiled at her.

"Mr. Morgan, you may step down," the judge said.

Jason walked back to his seat.

"I'd like to call a fifteen minute-recess to go over these files." Judge pounded the gavel.

"Wow, Mom," Sam said. "You were great."

Sam turned to look at Jason. Alexis noticed he pulled his phone out and pressed it to his ear.

Kristina hurried over to them. "Sam, I'm so sorry. I wanted to say more, but he wouldn't let me."

"Don't be sorry," Sam said, hugging her. "You did awesome."

"There's no way the judge won't pardon you," Kristina said. "Not with Jason and Spinelli's evidence."

The doors opened and Jason hastened out. Just as he left. Molly appeared in the doorway, locking eyes with Sam.


	21. Chapter 21

Hi everyone, finally through the trial. I started getting a headache in the middle of writing Sam's questioning. I feel like it was lazily written. But I'm glad the trial's over lol. Enjoy!

**Chapter 21**

Molly slowly made her way over to Alexis, Sam, and Kristina.

Sam smiled slightly. "You came."

Alexis beamed and gave Molly's arm a soft squeeze. "Are the kids with Michael?"

"No, I decided to come after he took Wiley," Molly said. "TJ's watching them and he's going to bring them to the hospital later."

"Why the change of heart?" Kristina asked.

"Well…" Molly said softly. "You see… TJ proposed to me last night." Molly lifted her hand showing her diamond ring.

Alexis' eyes grew wide. "_What_?"

"Molly!" Kristina grabbed Molly's hand to get a good look at the ring. "This is huge!"

Sam placed a hand over her mouth. "I'm so happy for you."

"Except I just can't get happy about it," Molly said. "I mean don't get me wrong, I want to spend the rest of my life with TJ. But I just…" She rubbed her eyes with shaky hands. "I don't want to get married without my dad giving me away and both my sisters standing up with me."

Alexis placed a hand over her heart and Sam started to tear up.

Molly shook her head. "Except, I just can't get past this. How you and Dad could do that… not only did you hurt Mom, but you hurt me and Kristina too."

Kristina started to open her mouth, but Molly continued, "Kristina's not as upset as I am, probably because she hasn't had an emotional attachment to Dad since we were kids, but he's my father… and you're my sister… it's just… I can't wrap my head around it. I know you had a really bad childhood, and I can't imagine having to grow up without Mom… but why did you have to take it out on me? Kristina and I were just kids."

"I didn't mean to hurt you," Sam said. "I just—"

"It hurt Sam, just as much as it hurt us," Alexis interrupted. "It was a terrible mistake, but not all the blame should be put on Sam."

"I know," Molly said. "And I think it'll be harder to forgive Dad. He was your step-father… but right now this is about my relationship with you, Sam."

Sam nodded.

"Since I've found out, I'm starting to realize Kristina and I have been kind of putting you on a pedestal our entire lives."

Kristina scrunched her face. "We have?"

"We always thought you were the coolest big sister ever. We didn't think you could do any wrong basically. But that's too idealistic, for you and for us. But yet you always gave other people a hard time, Mom, Julian, Elizabeth Webber… all the while keeping this disgusting secret from me and Kristina."

"Uhhhh, that's fine if you need to vent," Kristina said. "But why do you keep including me in your train of thoughts?"

"Because I think you and I need to learn from this. Mom and Sam are both human. They're going to make mistakes. We need to remove our standards for them. We need to stop giving Mom such a hard time and thinking that Sam is perfect, because she's not. And honestly, I think that's the hardest part I have to process, because this was a huge drop from that pedestal we put her on. Mom, I know you want me to forgive Sam right away, but I need more time. We can't just go back to how things were. I'm not going to shut her out though." She turned to Sam. "Because I love you and I want you to stand up with me at my wedding. And I don't want you to go to jail. I'm sorry I missed the first half of your trial, but I want to support you through the rest, the way you've always supported me. And I don't want to ruin our family Christmas. I want to forgive you, but in my own time. I just hope we can all be honest with each other from this day forward. No matter how hard the truth might be to hear."

Sam wiped away the tears falling down her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I'm so sorry, Molly. I'm sorry that I hurt you. That I hurt all of you. But it means so much to me that you're all here."

Alexis cleared her throat. "We are the Davis girls. We can get through this. We can get through this trial. And we can get through anything, together." She opened her arms wide and wrapped them around all three of her daughters.

Kristina and Molly took a seat at the back and Julian and Lucas came forward.

"It looked like you were having an intense conversation, that's why we waited to come over," Julian said. "But I think the trial is going fine so far."

Lucas smiled and hugged her. "I'm sure the charges will be dropped, and you'll be home soon."

The gavel pounded and the judge said, "Order in the court."

Julian kissed Sam's cheek. "You've got this."

Julian and Lucas sat down next to Kristina and Molly.

Sam looked at the back of the room and leaned into Alexis. "Where did Jason go?"

Alexis sighed.

"Ms. Davis, would you like to call your next witness?"  
Alexis rose. "Yes, your honour. I'd like to call Samantha McCall."

Sam took the stand, staring at the back of the room.

"Sam, can you please tell the courts your motives for joining Dawn of Day?" Alexis asked.

Sam stared behind Alexis, in a daze.

"Um, Sam?"

Sam shook her head. "Sorry. Can you repeat that?"

Alexis closed her eyes and cleared her throat. "Please tell the courts your motives for joining Dawn of Day."

Sam shifted in her seat. "I wanted… Kristina… I didn't…" Her eyes went to the back of the room again.

"Your honour? Can I have a moment with my client?"

"You just had fifteen minutes with her," the judge said. "We haven't got all day, it's Christmas Eve after all."

Alexis sighed and leaned against the stand, trying to will Sam with her eyes to focus on this and not on the fact that Jason wasn't there.

"Sam, what were your motives to join Dawn of Day?"

"I… I…" Sam mumbled, eyes on the verge of tears.

Alexis lifted Sam's chin and they locked eyes. "Do this for Danny and Scout."

"Ms. Davis, that is inappropriate and unprofessional in a court of law," the judge snapped. "Keep that out of my courtroom."

"I'm sorry your honour. Sam, why did you join Dawn of Day?"

Sam swallowed hard and paused for a few seconds looking at Alexis. "My sister, Kristina, had joined it and it closely resembled a cult. I was concerned about her and had to check it out for myself."

"And what did you find out about it?"

"They get you to give money to take classes and consume your whole life around it. Shiloh made women dependent on…" She paused again and stared off in space.

"Dependent on what?" Alexis asked.

"On him…"

"Was there anything else you found out?"

"He would have members tell him a big secret that he would later use against them if they tried to leave. Then he would drug the women and have sex with them."

"And through all of this, was your motive the same?"

"I wanted to get Krissy out of there, that was my first concern. But I also wanted enough evidence against Shiloh to stop him."

"Stop him how?" Alexis asked.

"By having him go to prison."

Alexis smiled and nodded. "No more questions, your honour." She returned to her seat.

Martin Gray paced the floor. "Ms. McCall, you said earlier that David Henry Archer would drug women and have sex with them. Did he ever do that to you?"

"He tried. But Jas… someone saved me."

"And are you sure that didn't make you want him dead?"

Sam's eyes went to the back of the room again, but then moved to Alexis. "A part of me, yes."

Alexis placed her hand on her forehead.

Martin grinned. "Did it make you want to kill him?"

"Not literally, no. I just wanted him to pay for it. To go to prison."

Alexis smiled slightly.

"And what about the fact that he almost did that to your sister? Did that make you want to kill him?"

Sam paused again. "A little—"

"No further questions, your honour." Martin returned to his seat.

"Ms. McCall, you may step down."

Sam slowly made her way back to her seat and buried her face in her hands, crying.

Alexis frowned and rubbed Sam's back.

"Mr. Gray," the judge asked, "would the prosecution like to give a closing statement?"

"Yes, your honour." Martin stood again. "Ms. McCall has clearly shown both hatred and resentment towards David Henry Archer for getting her sister involved in a cult and drugging her to have sex with her. She had the means, motive, and opportunity to want him dead. This was not a case of self-defense." He sat back down.

"Ms. Davis?" the judge said. "Your closing statement?"

Alexis rose. "Your honour, my client killed David Henry Archer in self-defense. The evidence provided by Damien Spinelli and Jason Morgan shows that it was Peter August who framed my client into making it look like pre-meditated murder. But she only did it to save Jason Morgan." She took her seat.

The judge cleared her throat. "Through the testimonies and the evidence, the court rules in favour of the defense."

Alexis smiled and felt a huge weight lift off her chest. She reached for Sam's hand.

"All charges against Samantha McCall are dropped and she can return to her daily living." She banged the gavel in front of her. "Case dismissed."

Sam's mouth was dropped slightly, and Alexis leaned over and hugged her. "You're free. You're free…"

Alexis let go of Sam and tucked some hair behind her ear.

Julian, Lucas, Kristina, and Molly rushed over.

"Thanks goodness," Julian said wrapping his arms around Sam. "Home for Christmas."

Diane and Spinelli walked over smiling.

Sam asked them, "Where's Jason?"

"Got a call from Sonny," Diane said.

"Yeah he didn't get into details," Spinelli said. "Something about a new enemy in town. He had to go."

A few tears trickled down Sam's cheeks.

"You're free, Sam," Alexis said, smiling at her. "Let's go spend Christmas with Danny and Scout."


	22. Chapter 22

I honestly think Scout is my favourite character in this story. She's just so darn adorable, innocent, and fun to write! Who's _your_ favourite character in the story? Enjoy!

**Chapter 22**

Sam stared out the window from the backseat the entire ride and didn't say much. Alexis kept looking back at her through her side-view mirror. Lucas sat next to Sam and told her all about the Wiley situation, but Sam was just in a daze. Kristina decided to ride with Molly to keep her company and they'd meet them at the hospital.

Julian pulled into the parking lot and parked the car.

Alexis turned to him. "Can you and Lucas go pay for parking? I want to talk to Sam before we go in."

"Yeah, definitely," Julian said, and he and Lucas hopped out of the car.

Alexis shifted in her seat and looked back at Sam. "Sweetie, you've been given another chance. You have been through so so much, but Danny and Scout are inside there and ready to run into your arms."

Sam looked up at her.

"It's Christmas, and I am so grateful that you're home for it," Alexis said. "Let's go inside and celebrate."

The elevator doors parted, and Julian, Alexis, Sam, and Lucas stepped off. Kristina and Molly were already there, standing next to the tree talking to Chase and TJ, while Ava sat with Leo and Avery shaking the presents. Mac, Felicia, Maxie, and Spinelli were gushing over Georgie and James. Sonny and Carly, holding Donna, stood in a corner talking to Bobbie and Lulu while Charlotte and Rocco wandered. Cameron, Josslyn, Trina, and Dev were sitting on a nearby bench and Elizabeth was straightening Aiden's Santa hat. In the middle of the room was Monica sitting up in a wheelchair, Scout cuddled up to her on her lap while hugging her stuffed dalmatian, Jake, Danny, and Michael, holding Wiley, standing around her.

"This is a Christmas miracle, Grandma," Michael said. "I'm so glad you're awake."

Monica smiled. "A Christmas miracle indeed." She reached out and squeezed Jake's hand. "I'm here with my grandchildren and my new great-grandson. I have no doubt that Edward, Lila, Alan, AJ, Emily, Drew, and Oscar are smiling down on us right now."

Danny turned his head and his mouth dropped when he saw Sam. "Mom?"

Scout sat up. "Mommy!" She climbed off Monica's lap and ran into Sam's arms.

A little more hesitantly, but smiling nonetheless, Danny came over and hugged Sam.

Sam squeezed them tightly, kneeling down to them, and kissed each of their cheeks. "I've missed you so much. I love you both."

Alexis smiled.

Scout clutched onto her, not letting go. "Santa brought you and Grandma Monica home."

Danny stepped back a little. "Are you home for good?"

Sam nodded. "Yes I am."

Lucas took Wiley from Michael and took him over to see Bobbie. Willow stepped off the elevator and Michael kissed her. Jake walked over to Elizabeth and Aiden.

Alexis wrapped her arm around Danny. "This Christmas is going to be very special indeed."

"Yep, and I have a good feeling that Santa will be very good to you kids this year," Julian said before going over to see Ava, Leo, and Avery.

Sam stood holding Scout, who rested her head against her shoulder.

"Why don't you kids go show Mommy the tree?" Alexis suggested.

"Okay." Danny took Sam's hand and led her over to the tree.

Alexis beamed at them. Kristina and Chase came over.

"Wow, so Monica is awake and Sam's home," Kristina said. "This really is a Christmas miracle."

Alexis wrapped her arm around her. "Yes, it is. It really is."

Carly carried Donna over to Sam and started talking to her.

Sam set Scout down and watched her as she looked through the presents with Danny, Leo, and Avery. Sam rubbed her temple as Carly talked intently to her.

Alexis sighed. She was no doubt talking to her about Jason. And sure enough, the elevators opened again, and Jason stepped out carrying a Christmas gift. Alexis felt her chest go heavy.

He made his way over to Elizabeth, Jake, and Aiden first. Jake was a little white in the face but gave Jason an awkward hug. Jason handed him the present.

Alexis turned back to Kristina. "Are you spending the night with Chase?"

She shook her head. "Chase has to work tonight."

"Well you're perfectly welcome to come home with us. Lucas is working tonight too. You can stay in his room."

"Thanks," Kristina said. "But Dad and Carly invited me over. I want to be there for Donna's first Christmas. Chase and I will come to your place in the afternoon though."

Alexis scanned the room once more and Jason was hugging Monica. Ava started tickling Scout and Avery. And Sam stared at the floor as Carly continued to talk.

"Hey, Mom." Molly walked over. "T.J. and I were talking. Since we'll be married this time next year, we want to have one last Christmas with our families. Is it okay if I spend the night?"  
"Of course. You know I always love having you."

Alexis felt her mouth go dry when she saw Jason go over to Sam and Carly. Danny and Scout were still kneeling by the tree, not noticing him.

Carly winked at Jason and walked past Alexis giving her a smug look. She headed back over to Sonny and handed him Donna.

Sam hugged Jason and he returned to the elevators.

Alexis went over to Sam, who was now kneeling down to Danny and Scout. "Hey kids, go grab your coats. We're going home to put up our stockings and wait for Santa."

Alexis' heart sped.

"Yay!" Scout smiled widely and jumped to her feet and ran to the other side of the room to get her coat.

Danny frowned. "We're not staying to hear the Christmas story?"

"Daddy and I thought it would be nice to spend the evening just the four of us."

Alexis felt a few tears spring to her eyes.

"You mean we're not spending Christmas with Leo and Grandma and Grandpa?"

"We will tomorrow," Sam said. "But for tonight and Christmas morning it'll be just us. It'll be nice and cozy."

"Okay," Danny said as she stood. "I guess that's all right." He followed after Scout.

Sam rose and turned around. "Oh, Mom. There you are. Jason's just pulling up the car. Carly helped him get presents for the kids. Thank you, for everything…" She hugged her. "At the hearing and for taking care of the kids."

Alexis opened her mouth to argue her, but Danny and Scout returned with their coats.

Danny hugged Alexis. "Merry Christmas, Grandma."

"Merry Christmas, Danny."

Sam went to grab her coat. And Alexis knelt down to Scout. "I love you, Cookie."

Scout lifted her hair out of her coat with her hands. "Will you wait up for Santa with us? We can give him milk and cookies for bringing Mommy and Grandma Monica home."

"Oh, Cookie. You see, you're going—"

"Are you guys ready?" Sam returned and took Scout's hand, but Scout lifted her arms and Sam picked her up.

"Sam, maybe we should talk first…"

"We should get going." Sam smiled. "Bye Mom. Say bye to Dad and everyone else for us."

"Bye Sam."

They piled into the elevator and Scout waved at her before the doors closed.

Two arms slipped around her torso from behind. She jolted a little, but relaxed when she realized it was Julian. "What's going on?"

"Sam just took the kids. They're going home with Jason."

Julian sighed.

"Scout didn't even realize what home Sam meant," Alexis said. "She thinks she means our place."

"Well, Sam is with them. She's their mother and will take care of them."

"I just have a really bad feeling about this. Scout is terrified of Jason."

"Well, Molly and Leo will be spending Christmas with us and everyone else will be coming over later in the day. It'll still be special."

GHGHGH

"And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them," Monica read out to all gathered around her.

Avery, Donna, Aiden, James, and Rocco sat in the front on their mother's laps. Chase kissed Kristina, and T.J. smiled at Molly. Lucas shifted Wiley to his opposite hip and Leo sat on Julian's shoulders as he wrapped his arm around Alexis.

"Fear not, for I bring you great tidings of great joy which should be to all people," Monica continued. "For unto you is born this day in the City of David a savior which is Christ the Lord."

As Monica finished reading the Christmas story, children were yawning, and everyone started to grab their coats.

"I'm picking up Wiley from Sonny's mid-morning, then we'll be back home," Lucas said, hugging Julian, Alexis, and then Leo. He knelt down to Leo. "Make sure you save some of Santa's presents for your big bro and nephew."

"I'll try," Leo said.

"Okay, Mom, Dad's ready to go," Kristina said, hugging Alexis. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Alexis turned to Molly. "We'll see you at home?"

"Yeah, just going to stop by my place first to grab my PJs and a change of clothes. "I'll see you soon."

Alexis walked with Julian and Leo towards the elevators but stopped when she noticed a little stuffed dalmatian next to the Christmas tree. She bent over to pick it up. "Oh, Cookie. How did they ever get you in the car… and with Jason?"

Snow started to fall as they drove home, and Leo fell asleep in the backseat. Julian carried him inside and Alexis plopped down on the couch holding Dotty the dalmatian.

"I'm going to lay Leo down," Julian said and took him upstairs.

Alexis rested her hand on her cheek and began to cry. The house felt so empty and she had a sinking feeling in her stomach.

She heard barking and Annabelle the second jumped onto her lap. She smiled and started to pet her. "Maybe I am a dog person after all. Maybe when Monica gets better and wants you back, Julian and I can get a dog of our own."

Footsteps pattered down the stairs and Julian joined her on the couch. He flipped her hair behind her back and started nibbling on her ear. "We don't get much alone time."

"I know." She placed her hand on his cheek. "I guess we'll give Danny and Scout their Santa gifts tomorrow afternoon."

"Danny's going to love his kayak."

Alexis smiled. "I thought he and Sam would enjoy doing that together."

"Yep and Scout will go nuts over her princess tent."

The door swung open and Molly stormed in, out of breath, clutching her phone. "Oh my gosh, have you heard the news?"

Alexis sat up straighter. "No. Why?"

"I just checked my MyFace when I pulled into your driveway. It's all over my timeline…" She held her phone in front of her. "Police investigating two car bombings this evening. Vehicles reported to be owned by Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan."


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

"Nothing has been disclosed to the public whether there are any survivors of the attacks," Molly continued reading from her phone.

"Oh my gosh…" Every muscle tensed in Alexis and her heart raced. "Sam, Kristina, the kids…"

"Avery and Wiley were on their way to Sonny's too…" Julian's face was pale. "Okay, you call Kristina, I'll try Sam." He whipped his phone out.

Alexis pressed her phone to ear, but Kristina's voicemail came up. "Kristina, call me right away. Text or something. Please tell me you got out of that car." She closed her phone.

Julian looked at her. "Voicemail."

"Then call Sonny. Jason. Heck even Carly. _Anyone_."

Molly pulled out her phone too. Alexis groaned when Carly's phone went to voicemail. After leaving a frantic message she hung up.

"Jason voicemail." Julian kicked the coffee table.

"Same with Uncle Sonny," Molly said.

"Okay, Molly, you keep trying," Alexis said, voice shaky. "We're just going to have to go to Sonny and Jason's."

Alexis whipped her head around when she heard the front door swing open. Kristina stood there crying. Michael, Wiley, Willow, and Josslyn behind her.

"_Kristina_!" Alexis darted over to her and pulled her into her arms. "You're all right." She eyed her up and down checking her over.

Molly hugged Kristina too. "We were so scared."

Julian took Wiley from Michael, holding him tightly and kissed his forehead.

"Willow and I have to get back to Mom and Dad," Michael said. "I talked to Lucas. He wants him to stay here tonight. He can't get away, they're short-staffed. Jax is on his way here to get Joss." He and Willow zoomed out the door.

Alexis smiled, breathing fast. "So, you got out of the car."

"I was never in Dad's car," Kristina said. "I switched with Josslyn, I ended up going with Michael and Willow instead."

Alexis' phone began to ring, Sam's name displayed on it. "_It's Sam_! Sam?"

"Mom," Sam cried on the other end.'

Alexis sighed in relief. "It's so good to hear your voice. Are you and the kids okay?"

Sam blubbered. "Scout didn't want to get in the car. She clung to Danny the whole way."

"What? Sam, are Danny and Scout okay?"

"When she realized Jason was driving—"

"_Sam_, are they okay?"

"Yes. They're here with me. Will you come get us?"

Alexis felt a huge weight lift from her chest. "Of course. Are you at the penthouse?"

"The Metro Court. We had to get to a safe place. Jason went to check on Sonny and Carly."

_Of course, he did_, but she didn't say that out loud. "Okay, _stay there_. I'm on my way." She tucked her phone away.

"We stopped to get gas," Josslyn said, sitting on the couch with Kristina crying. "Mom and I went in with Sonny to get snacks. Dev stayed in the car with Avery and Donna…"

Julian's eyes grew wide. "Did Avery get out of the car?"

"No." Josslyn buried her face in her hands, sobbing. "Sonny called Michael to come get me to a safe place."

More tears spilled down Kristina's cheeks. "Ava was there when we arrived… she's livid."

Julian's eyes started to well and he looked at Alexis. "Sam…" he choked up. "Is she okay?"

"Yes," Alexis said pulling her coat on. "She and the kids are fine. Go be with Ava. I'm going to get Sam." She grabbed Scout's dalmatian before going out in the snowy weather.

GHGHGH

Alexis clutched Dotty the dalmatian and hastened into the Metro Court. Sam was pacing the lobby, chewing her nails, and crying. Danny sat on a bench, Scout clinging tightly to him, her face buried into his chest.

"Sam…"

Sam turned and powered into Alexis' arms, sobbing into her shoulder.

"Take a deep breath," Alexis said, rubbing her back. "Tell me what happened."

"Scout didn't want to get into the car. She was kicking and screaming. I was about to take them back inside, but Danny talked her down and managed to get her in the back seat. She just clung to him. We started driving, then Jason spoke to her and she realized he was there. She went ballistic. She tried clawing her way out the window."

Alexis pressed her hand to her forehead.

"Carly thought if she just spent some time with Jason, she'd see there's nothing to be afraid of," Sam said.

Alexis shook her head. "Carly doesn't always know what's best, despite what she thinks."

"When we got to the penthouse… Scout ran and hid in the cupboard. She kept calling out for Grandma and Dotty… I don't who Dotty is… It took over an hour before Danny could convince her to come out. Jason went upstairs to let her calm down. We went to the window, to watch the snow… I thought it would help. But Jason's car was right out there… it exploded right in front of us."

"Oh my gosh. Sam—"

"It was timed for just after the party ended. If we didn't leave early…"

Alexis wrapped her arms around her again.

"We didn't even take time to grab our coats… only Scout never took her coat off."

"I've got lots of blankets in the car."

"We just… we had to get somewhere safe." Sam pushed away some of her tears with her thumb. "We walked here, through the blizzard. But Scout… she won't let go of Danny. When I try to get close to her, she gets worse."

Alexis sighed. "She probably thinks you're going to take her back to Jason."

"Mom?" Danny called out from where he sat with Scout. "Me and Scout don't want to live with you and Dad. We want to go back to Grandma and Grandpa's. With or without you."

Sam lowered her gaze and Alexis knelt in front of Danny and Scout. "Cookie, do you want to come home with Grandma? I have Dotty right here."

Scout let go of Danny and plopped into Alexis' arms, then Danny hugged her too.

"Listen, Cookie. We have to go in Grandma's car. Grandma's house is too far away to just walk. But you have Dotty to ride with you, and Grandma, Mommy, and Danny won't let anything bad happen. You can sit right next to Danny and hold Dotty tight."

Scout sobbed into her shoulder and Alexis lifted her as the four of them made their way out into the stormy night.


	24. Chapter 24

There's times I wish I did multiple points of view for this story rather than Alexis' limited POV so I could get into Sam's head and show what's going on with Julian and Ava for example, but too late now. I guess we'll have to wait for Alexis to find these things out. Enjoy!

**Chapter 24**

Alexis had given her long grey coat to Danny and a warm blanket to Sam. Scout was practically on Danny's lap, clutching her stuffed dog, crying softly the entire drive. Sam kept glancing back at her children, eyes wet and puffy, and when Scout would see her, Alexis noticed in the rear-view mirror, her eyes would grow wide and she'd bury her face into Danny's side.

When they pulled into the driveway, four cop cars were parked on the street. They stepped out into the powdery snow. Scout darted into Alexis' arms, and she carried her to the porch where Chase stood.

"Hey, there's three other cops around your house for protection," he said.

Scout pressed her cheek against Alexis' chest and Danny slipped his hand into hers.

He opened the door for them. "Kristina can tell you more once the kids are asleep."

Kristina and Molly had their arms around each other, and a single blanket covered them on the couch. Kristina's eyes were red, but she wasn't breathing as heavily nor was she crying now.

They turned their heads and bolted to their feet and wrapping their arms around Sam.

"Oh, Sam, I didn't want those to be the last things I said to you…" Molly said.

Kristina hugged Danny and Molly rubbed Scout's back.

"I'm going to take Scout to bed," Alexis said. "She needs a good night's sleep. Sam, I have the room next to Danny and Leo's ready for you."

Sam swallowed hard and knelt a little in front of Danny. "How about I take you to bed, buddy. I know you're not a little kid anymore, but we can read a story like we used to."

"No, thanks. That'll wake Leo anyway." He hugged Alexis. "Goodnight, Grandma."

He ran upstairs and Sam's lip trembled a little.

Alexis squeezed her hand. "We'll talk after Scout's asleep."

Alexis carried Scout into hers and the baby's room. Wiley was sound asleep on his stomach, his turquoise soother resting halfway out of his mouth.

"See, Cookie? Wiley is sleeping. You are safe here."

She set Scout on her bed, but Scout threw her arms around Alexis' waist.

"Oh, Cookie… you haven't even taken off your coat since you left the hospital. Can Grandma help you take it off?"

Scout nodded and let go of Alexis.

Alexis unzipped her coat and removed it from her. "How about changing into your jammies next? It'll be a lot more comfy."

Scout nodded again and lifted her arms so Alexis could remove her snowflake sweater. Once Scout was in her unicorn pajamas, Alexis tucked her in under the pink covers, Dotty beside her.

"Okay, Cookie, the sooner you get to sleep, the sooner Santa will come."

Scout frowned and said barely above a whisper. "Santa be scared too."

"Why do you think Santa's scared?"

"So many cars outside. He'll see them from the sky and won't come."

"Oh, Cookie. Santa's not scared of the cars. Grandma knows for a fact that he's coming. We're going to have a special Christmas tomorrow."

After Scout finally fell asleep, Alexis peeked in on Danny and Leo, both sleeping soundly, Annabelle the second curled up at the end of Leo's bottom bunk. When she got downstairs, Kristina and Molly were still on the couch, but Sam was gone.

Alexis' heart sped. "Where's Sam?"

"She went to bed," Molly said. "She didn't say much to us."

Alexis sighed in relief. "I was afraid she'd gone looking for Jason." She sat next to them. "Are you girls okay to share Lucas' room tonight?"

"Sure."

"Good. Did Jax come to get Josslyn?"

Molly nodded.

"Okay. So, the cops are a good idea."

"Yeah, Dad called and wanted to send guards. I talked him out of it," Kristina said. "I thought it would draw more attention. The cops would be better, so I called Chase."

"And we got sort of good news… and bad news," Molly said.

"They found Dev's remains," Kristina said. "He's dead."

Alexis shook her head. "That poor boy."

"But they couldn't find Avery and Donna," Molly said. "They weren't in the car."

Alexis scrunched her face. "But how if Sonny, Carly, and Josslyn were inside the service station?"

"Dad thinks the person who placed the bomb took them and that they were planning to take Danny and Scout too. The bombs were a diversion, but also a threat," Kristina said. "That's why he wanted guards here."

Alexis placed her hand on her forehead. "Oh my gosh."

"Guards are also at Jax's house for Josslyn, and at Elizabeth's house," Molly said. "Uncle Sonny thinks Jake is probably safe because he doesn't see Jason much, but it's just a precaution."

"I mean, I'm still terrified for my little sisters," Kristina said. "But I feel a little relieved. At least there's some hope."

GHGHGH

After setting out the Santa gifts for the kids, Alexis finally went to bed. She'd tried calling Julian, but there was no answer. He was probably spending the night at Ava's. She tossed and turned but her mind just wouldn't shut down. She had almost lost two of her daughters and her grandchildren that night and the danger was still lurking. It seemed no matter what she did or didn't do, the mob would always be an eerie presence in her life.

Footsteps and wailing came from the hallway and Scout appeared in her doorway.

Alexis sat up a little. "Oh, Cookie. Did you have a bad dream?"

Scout nodded.

"Come here, you can sleep with Grandma."

She helped her climb onto the bed and wrapped her arm around her. "What happened in the dream?"

"Cars are all over, Grandma. They just won't leave."

Alexis sighed.

"And Mommy keeps taking me there and Danny's daddy keeps bringing more and more cars."

Alexis kissed the top of her head and rocked her gently in her arms. She lifted her head slightly. Sam was standing in the doorway, tears falling down her cheeks. Guilt flooded Alexis as Sam walked away.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

"IT'S CHRISTMAS! IT'S CHRISTMAS!" Leo's voice echoed from the hallway and he appeared in Alexis' doorway, his Rudolph pajamas shining brightly against the dimly lit walls. "Lexie, it's Christmas morning!"

Alexis sat up a little, Scout under her arm fast asleep. She peered over at her alarm clock displaying 7:00am and she groaned.

"Where's Daddy?" Leo's smile faded. "Is he waiting downstairs?"

"Leo…" Alexis patted the edge of her bed and Leo hopped up. "Your dad went to go see Aunt Ava last night. She needs him right now."

"Why?"

"She was just a little sad last night, but he's hoping to be home soon."

"Oh. She should come here for Christmas," Leo said.

"Maybe."

He shook Scout a little. "Scout, wake up!"

. Scout opened her eyes and rubbed them.

Leo grinned. "It's Christmas."

Her mouth dropped open slightly and she looked up at Alexis. "Did Santa come?"

"I bet he did. Should we go get Danny and Wiley and find out?"

She smiled. "Yeah."

Alexis held Scout's hand and they followed Leo into the boys' room, Annabelle the second coming up behind them. Alexis pulled out her phone, but there were no messages from Julian. Leo climbed the ladder to the top bunk and jumped on top of Danny.

"Ow!" Danny sat up scrunching his face.

"Come on, Danny. It's Christmas morning!" He climbed back down and took Scout's hand. "Let's go wake up Wiley."

Alexis' eyes grew wide. "No jumping in the crib now!"

"We won't!" Leo said, taking Scout out of the room.

Danny laid back down and turned facing the wall.

"Danny?" Alexis walked closer to the bunk beds. "Aren't you coming down?"

"I'm sorry, Grandma. I just don't feel like it."

Alexis sighed. "You, your mom, and Scout went through so much yesterday. This whole year really."

"Yeah and Mom doesn't even care."

Alexis lowered her gaze to the floor. "Of course, she cares. Your mom is just very confused right now. She just wants you guys to be a family with your dad."

"Yeah and Dad is never around. When he is, bad things happen." He turned around facing her. "I don't want to be like him."

Alexis smiled slightly. "Then just be you. You said you don't want to be like your dad, do you think he would go down there and celebrate Christmas with his sister?"

"Probably not. He'd be doing something for Sonny and Carly instead."

"Well, the Danny I know and love, would."

Danny stared off for a moment, then locked eyes with Alexis. "Yeah, I want to make it special for Scout."

"Then come. You deserve this day."

"Okay." He climbed down and hugged her. "I love you, Grandma."

"I love you too, Danny."

"Thank you being there for us."

When they made their way to Scout and Wiley's room, Scout and Leo sat next to the crib. Leo pushed a few blocks into Wiley's crib, who lifted one and brought it to his mouth to taste.

"All right, you kids," Alexis said, picking up Wiley. "We can go downstairs, but only Santa's gifts for now, until everyone else is ready."

Leo zoomed down the stairs and jumped the last five steps.

"Careful!" Alexis called out to him, following Danny and Scout down with Annabelle the second at their side.

Danny, Scout, and Leo stood with their mouths open.

"Merry Christmas," Molly said, sitting with Kristina on the couch. The dog jumped onto Kristina's lap.

Danny ran over to the light blue kayak and read the label. "This is for me?"

Alexis smiled. "Looks that way."

Leo plopped down on his new GT sled and spun the wheel each way as Scout sat inside her princess tent, giggling. Alexis set Wiley on his new rocking horse. He smiled up at her and rocked back and forth.

Alexis sat with Kristina and Molly on the couch. "How did you girls sleep?"

"We didn't," Kristina said. "We just talked all night."

"Yeah. We ended up coming down when we heard Luc—"

"Merry Christmas!" Lucas walked in from to kitchen wearing a Santa hat and carrying two hot chocolates. He handed them to Kristina and Molly, then kissed Alexis' cheek. "Wow, looks like Wiley is enjoying his gift from Santa!"

Wiley waved to him. "Hi!"

"Hey, buddy!" Lucas waved back to him. "Would you like some hot cocoa, Lex?"

"Maybe some tea would be good," Alexis said.

"Coming right up. I'm making hot-cross buns too!" He headed back to the kitchen.

"Lexie," Leo said, "Can we open our presents?"

"Not yet," Alexis said. "Your dad and Sam aren't here." She glanced at her phone again, still no messages. "In fact, I'll go wake her."

Alexis made her way upstairs and knocked on Sam's door before opening. "Sam? It's Christmas morning."

Sam was lying on her back staring at the ceiling.

Alexis sat on the edge of her bed. "Come, we're all waiting for you."

Sam closed her eyes. "Nobody wants me there."

"That's not true."

"Molly doesn't." Tears started to fall from her eyes. "Danny and Scout don't."

"Sam, your children need to know that you're going to be there for them, even when they're angry or scared. Besides, I want you there."

"I don't want to scare Scout."

Alexis shook her head. "She's not scared of you. She's scared of Jason. She's scared you're going to take her to him. Are you planning to take her to him again?"

Sam swallowed hard. "No."

"Then show her that. Show her that you only want to spend Christmas morning with her and Danny."

Without changing from the pajamas Alexis bought her, Sam followed her mother downstairs. Danny was sitting in his new kayak and looked up at her.

Sam smiled slightly. "Merry Christmas, Danny."

"Merry Christmas," he said softly, but didn't move from the kayak.

Scout poked her head out of the tent and her eyes widened looking at Sam.

"Merry Christmas, sweetie," Sam said.

Scout's eyes moved to Alexis, then she went back inside the tent.

Sam sighed and sat next to Kristina.

"Buns are ready!" Lucas came in, carrying a tray full of them and Alexis' tea. He set them down on the coffee table and wrapped his arm around Sam. "Merry Christmas, sis." He kissed her forehead.

"Where's Grandpa?" Danny asked.

Alexis shook her head and pulled out her phone. "I don't know. I'll try calling him."

But the door swung open and Annabelle the second barked happily.

"WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Julian walked in, Santa hat on his head, singing with his arms open wide. "WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

Ava walked in behind him, carrying Avery. Kristina gasped and ran over to her.

"WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEEEWW YEEEEAR!"


	26. Chapter 26

This is a shorter chapter. Lighthearted after the drama. But trust me, the drama will pick up again. Planning to start the next chapter now.

So, I don't know, I'm not really an Ava fan. There's times when I don't mind her and I kind of like her relationship with Julian, but she's just so… gah. But for the purpose of my story, I'm going to write her in an okay light, because the antagonists in this are Sonny, Carly, and Jason. And since she's opposed to them, she'll be a fairly good character here lol, but she's not going to have a big role though, at least not that I have planned.

**Chapter 26**

"GRANDPA!"

"DADDY!"

Danny, Scout, and Leo dove into Julian's arms. He lifted Scout. "Merry Christmas, kiddos!"

Wiley clapped his hands and giggled. "Gampa home!"

Alexis turned to Sam whose cheeks were flushed.

Kristina took Avery from Ava and hugged her tight, then sat on the couch with her.

"Okay, let me through. Let me through," Julian said, navigating around Danny and Leo, still carrying Scout. "I need to see the lady of the hour." He wrapped his free arm around Alexis and pressed his lips to hers.

"Eeeeeeewww!" Danny and Leo said together.

"Ew is right," Lucas said, covering Sam's eyes and closing his own. "We don't wanna see that, you'll give us nightmares!"

Sam giggled a little, but it didn't last long before she frowned again.

"Okay, get started on the buns," Alexis said. "Julian, Ava, a word in the kitchen?"

"Sure." Julian set Scout down who ran behind Danny and peeked out at Sam.

Alexis leaned against the counter once they reached the kitchen. "What happened?"

"When I got to the gas station, Ava was really tearing into Sonny."

Ava shook her head. "How he could let that happen to our little girl! And he wouldn't even give me the name of who he suspected."

"So, I threatened him," Julian said. "He finally gave up the name Marchesi. I had had dealings with him in the past and knew where his secret hideout was."

"But I told Julian, we're not taking Sonny with us. I'm not letting him anywhere near her again!"

"Yeah, so that's what were doing all night. Getting Avery and Donna."

"Where is Donna?" Alexis asked.

"Dropped her off at Bobbie's," Julian said. "She said she'd let Carly know."

"And what about Marchesi?"

"Got away before we had a chance to call the police. We told the cops everything though."

Alexis sighed. "Well I'm so glad that Avery and Donna are all right."

"Yeah, I didn't want to send Ava and Avery home alone, not on Christmas," Julian said. "And not while Marchesi is still out there."

"Of course," Alexis said. "The kids will be happy to have their cousin here."

When they returned to the living room, the buns were half-eaten. Scout was huddled close to Danny on the floor, slowly taking a couple bites of her cinnamon bun, eying Sam at the corner of her eye.

Despite Alexis' attempts to keep it calm and organized, opening the gifts was just utter chaos. Wrapping paper was everywhere, the kids were hyped up on the sugar from the buns and ripped the paper off their gifts like wild animals. Sam was still quiet. Scout was loud and back to her old self, until she would catch Sam looking at her and she'd shrink down behind Danny, Alexis, or Julian for a few minutes before returning to her gifts.

"There's just none left!" Leo said exasperated, as he, Avery, and Danny tried peeking behind the tree.

"Are you sure?" Julian asked. "Grandpa better inspect." He got down on his hands and knees and crawled sideways under the tree, and laid under it.

Alexis shook her head and the kids giggled.

"I found one!" he said in a muffled voice. "But I don't think I want to move. It's comfy under here!"

"No, Grandpa," Danny said as he and Leo tried to pull him out. "We want to know who it's for!"

Julian rolled out carrying a tiny gift. "Why, I think it's for Grandma!"

Leo swung his fist in front of him. "Awe man, rotten luck."

Julian sat on the arm of the chair Alexis was sitting on and handed it to her. She unwrapped it revealing a tiny box. She popped it open and inside was a necklace with tiny diamonds all around, with one larger diamond hanging from it.

Kristina and Molly hovered around admiring it.

Her mouth dropped slightly. "Julian, I—"

"Who's it from?" Leo asked.

"It's from Santa Claus," Julian said. "You see, he and Lex have a thing going on. She fancies him over me."

"Ew…" Leo scrunched his face, but then smiled. "But then that means Lexie can talk to Santa about giving us more presents! Maybe she'll marry him, and we can all move to the North Pole!"

Alexis' eyes moved to Leo. "Uhh, nooo… the only Santa Claus I'd like to be with, is this one." She tilted her head up and kissed Julian.

"Eeeew…" Lucas, Kristina, Molly, Danny, and Leo said in unison and Ava just rolled her eyes.

When Alexis broke from the kiss, she turned and Scout was lying under the tree, like Julian was earlier, giggling.


	27. Chapter 27

For the record, I can not stand Franco. When Jake talks about him, it's more the principle he's standing up for. But I still deal with Franco in my own evil way muahaha.

**Chapter 27**

"Where's Danny?" Jake, dressed in his grey snowsuit, peeked around to Alexis' living room.

"He's out back with Julian, Lucas, Leo, and Scout," Alexis said, shifted Wiley from one hip to another. "They already got their sleds out. Are you guys all set to join them?"

Aiden, in his blue snowsuit, lifted his saucer. "All set!"

Jake and Aiden headed to through the living room towards the backyard.

"Thank you so much for taking them," Elizabeth said. "I tried so hard to switch shifts, but with getting Christmas day off, I always have to work the day after."

"No problem. Danny could use a visit with his big brother."

"Yeah and Cameron wanted to see Joss today. Normally Jake is fine watching Aiden, but with the recent attacks, I don't want to leave them alone…"

"I totally get it," Alexis reassured her.

"All right, well I'll be back after 6," Elizabeth said before leaving.

"Well, Wiley. Let's go see if Auntie Sam is up yet. It's almost 9:30."

Alexis proceeded up the steps with Wiley and made her way to Sam's room. Sam was sitting by the window. As Alexis stepped closer, she realized she was watching the kids sled down the little hill behind their house with Julian and Lucas. Chase stood on guard at the top of the hill and another police officer stood at the bottom.

"You'd have a better view outside, you know," Alexis said, tucking some of Sam's hair behind her ear.

"They really love Dad and Lucas," Sam said as Julian, with Scout on his lap and lifting her arms, sledded down the hill on a wooden toboggan. She turned to Alexis. "And you."

"They have a lot of people that they love, yes."

Sam turned back to the window, Leo zoomed down on his GT, Aiden spinning behind him on his saucer.

"Come on, I'm going to grab Wiley's snowsuit. Come join us," Alexis said. "You don't have to sled, just sit with me and watch."

Sam shook her head. "No, they're having too much fun. I'll just watch from here."

Alexis sighed. "Okay, well if you change your mind, come on out." She kissed the top of her head. "I love you and I'm glad you're here."

Sam leaned against the window ledge.

After struggling with Wiley to get his snowsuit on, Alexis headed to the back door with him. She stopped when she heard Danny's voice through the screen door.

"I'm starting to see what you mean about Dad." He was sitting in the snow on the patio with Jake.

"Yeah, I heard about Christmas Eve," Jake said. "I'm glad you and Scout are all right."

"He doesn't come around much, then that happens…"

Jake nodded. "You at least see him more than I do. But I don't even know if I want to see him to be honest."

Danny pushed some of the snow with his foot.

"He only makes time for me like three times a year… last year I think it was four. Then I have to have guards around my house _on Christmas_ because of my connection to him."

Danny stared at his feet.

"And he had the nerve to say he didn't approve of Franco when he was there for us in ways he never has been. You know Franco really helped me. But I think I really only went on about him in front of Dad the few times I saw him because I was hoping he'd step in and try to protect us from him. Or at least come around more to make sure we were okay. But then I learned the truth."

"What's the truth?" Danny asked.

"I don't matter to him."

Alexis' heart sank and Danny turned to look at him.

"I guess Dad was right about Franco though. He left town a couple weeks ago with Oscar's mom. I just didn't get a chance to punch his face for hurting my mom. Once again, she's alone. I guess the lesson here is, it's up to me and my brothers to protect her."

Danny stared at him for a moment. "Then I need to protect my mom and sister from Dad too."

Alexis pushed the screen door open. "Hi boys. Don't you want to go sledding?"

"Nah, we're getting too old for that," Danny said in a cool kid voice.

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "Really? Too cool to have some fun? Do you think Grandpa and Uncle Lucas are too old for it?" She glanced over and Julian and Lucas were each rolling down the hill without a sled. She scratched her chin. Perhaps they were too old…

Jake turned to Danny. "Maybe it would be fun."

Danny shrugged and grabbed a saucer. "Okay, let's go."

They trudged up the hill and joined the others. Lucas ran over, patches of snow sticking to his hat and mittens. "Hey, Wiley!" He took him from Alexis. "Want Daddy to pull you in a little sled?" He set him down in the blue baby sled and pulled him around the yard.

Alexis smiled as Jake and Danny swirled down the hill on their saucers.

GHGHGH

Julian, Lucas, and the kids gathered around the kitchen table sipping hot chocolate, and Wiley drank milk from his sippy cup. Alexis headed upstairs to check on Sam. She pushed her door open, but her room was empty.

"Sam?"

She checked the bathrooms and all the bedrooms, but there was no sign of her.

"Hey, Lex?" Julian's voice entered the hallway before he did.

"Hey, have you seen Sam?"

He shook his head. "No. But my car is gone."

Alexis rubbed her temples. "I hope she didn't go looking for Jason…"

"Not when Marchesi is out there…"

Alexis pulled out her phone.

"Okay, don't panic," Julian said, grabbing her hand. "We need to be careful how we do this…"

"Be careful, when a lunatic mobster could be after our daughter?"

"You know full well that if we track her down, Carly is going to spin it to her that we're trying to control her."

"You don't need to track me down."

Alexis whipped her head around. Sam was standing there with her black coat on, holding a pink blanket. Alexis' muscles eased.

"I did go to the penthouse, but not for the reason you think. Jason wasn't even there," Sam said, barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I know you'd try to stop me."

"Why _did_ you go to the penthouse?" Julian asked.

Alexis' eyes went to the pink blanket as Sam lifted it.

"This was supposed to be my first daughter's," Sam said, getting teary-eyed. "I just… I want to feel close to my children again. That's why I went to get it. You probably think that sounds dumb…"

"No." Alexis shook her head and pulled her into her embrace. "That doesn't sound dumb at all."


	28. Chapter 28

This site must have been doing some kind of maintenance. I was able to approve the guest's reviews, but then they wouldn't show up afterwards. And the number of reviews went up without showing either. Hopefully this posts all right.

So anyway, I was laughing so hard writing the Sonny, Carly, Ava stuff. It is totally recycled material, but we all know Sonny would repeat this again and again and again.

**Chapter 28**

Alexis knocked on the door to Molly and TJ's apartment. "Molly? Mommy's here to see you!"

She heard a click and the door opened.

"Hi Mom." She hugged her.

"How are you?" Alexis asked as she made herself comfortable on the couch.

"I'm doing a little better." Molly sat beside her and crossed her legs. "I actually spoke to my agent yesterday. She likes my pitch for my new book idea. I've started chapter 1."

Alexis smiled. "What's your new idea?"

"A prissy teenaged girl sneaks out of boarding school and meets a bad boy type. They have a one-night stand and she ends up pregnant. She gives the baby up for adoption, but decades later they're all reunited, and the two lovers fall head over heels for each other."

Alexis' eyes grew wide, her face tense. "You are _not_ writing my life story!"

"Oh, come on, it'll be on the best-sellers list. And I'll change your names. Besides, your love story is unique."

"A one-night stand resulting in a teen pregnancy is unique?"

Molly rolled her eyes. "No, how you found each other again."

"What is this? You couldn't stand Julian, but now you're our #1 supporter _and_ want to write a novel about us?"

Molly shrugged. "Think of it as my way of making up for my attitude towards you and Julian. I'm a writer, that's how I express myself."

Alexis scrunched her face. "Can't you just write us a nice poem instead?"

"Nah, I prefer to write a novel."

Alexis groaned.

"So, what brings you here on New Year's Eve? It's almost 4 o'clock, surely you and Julian have plans tonight."

"We do, we're going to the Haunted Star tonight."

Molly grinned. "So are TJ and me. I guess we'll see you there."

"TJ is actually why I'm here. I didn't get the chance to talk to you over Christmas."

"You mean about our engagement?" Molly asked.

Alexis nodded. "As you know, I really like TJ. He is really good to you. But I just want to make sure you're ready to get married. You're still so young."

"I am. I love TJ and I want to spend the rest of my life with him. He understands my dreams and I his. We want to go through life together."

Alexis beamed and wiped a lone tear that sprung to her eye. "Then congratulations are in order. My youngest baby is getting married."

Molly hugged her. "Thanks, Mom."

GHGHGH

Alexis finished looping her hooped earrings through her lobes and headed to Sam's room. Sam was in her pajamas lying on her side in bed.

"Sam… please come to the party with us." Alexis sat on the edge of her bed. "You haven't gotten out of bed in three days."

Sam groaned. "I don't feel like going to a party."

"It'll do you some good. Please come, for me?" Alexis pleaded.

Sam pulled the pink baby blanket tightly to her chest.

"Hey? What's this?" Lucas appeared in the doorway, wearing a red bowtie. "Now, none of that." He ripped the covers off Sam and yanked her out of bed. "We only have twenty minutes before my mom gets here to babysit. I can't have my date smelling funny, go have a shower and get dressed!"

"Date?" Sam asked.

"Yes, you are my date. Now let's go!"

Sam sighed. "I don't have anything to wear."

"Kristina dropped off her purple dress earlier hoping you'd come," Alexis said. "It's downstairs."

"Go! Go!" Lucas shoved her playfully.

"Okay, okay." Sam disappeared down the hallway.

"Thanks, Lucas," Alexis said. "You're a great brother."

"Did I hear right?" Julian swung himself through the doorway, holding onto the casings. "Sam's coming tonight?"

"She is, thanks to your son." Alexis smiled.

Julian patted Lucas' shoulder. They were wearing matching bowties. "Right on!"

GHGHGH

Sam wore her hair down straight and threw on a little make-up, but she looked fairly modest in Kristina's simple plum dress when the family of four arrived on the Haunted Star.

Lucas took Sam's arm, and Julian took Alexis' after straightening her navy-blue dress. They were greeted by Lulu, Dustin, Laura, and Kevin and made their way into the party.

Nina and Willow were arguing about something, with Valentin and Michael at their sides. Finn and Anna were mingling with Spinelli and Maxie, while Elizabeth was talking to Hayden.

Kristina and Chase were scooping punch from the punch bowl and handed some glasses to Molly, TJ, Curtis, and Jordan.

They came to a halt when Ava started yelling at Sonny, Martin Gray at her side. Sasha and Jason standing nearby. Sam locked eyes with Jason.

"Don't think for one second I'm letting you anywhere near Avery again!" Ava shouted. "You were supposed to keep her safe!"

Carly crossed her arms and glared at Ava. "You can't keep Avery from us. Sonny is her father and I am her mother in every way that matters. We are a family."

Ava laughed. "You think Sonny is so devoted to you? Well, Sonny, I suppose you haven't told your wife about your recent affair."

Sonny's eyes grew wide and Carly turned to him. "Your recent _what_?"

"Would you like to tell her or should I?" Ava said. "Or perhaps the mistress herself would like to do the honours." She turned to Sasha and Carly gasped.

Alexis rolled her eyes.

Sonny reached for Carly's hand. "I wanted to tell you. But with everything going on with Marchesi, I thought I should wait."

"How long has this been going on?" Carly asked.

"A couple months."

"Oh, but you haven't told Carly the best part," Ava snarled. "Go on, tell her."

Sonny sighed. "Sasha is pregnant."

Carly's mouth dropped open and she slapped Sasha. "Is this why you insisted on moving her in with Jason this week?"

Alexis turned to Sam, whose face went pale.

"I want her and the baby to be taken care of," Sonny said. "But this doesn't change anything. You're the woman I love."

"Come on, Sam," Lucas ushered her away. "Let's go get some punch."

"Punch sounds like a great idea," Julian agreed, taking Alexis' arm.

"Well, that's a blast from the past," Alexis muttered to Julian.

"Are you okay, Sam?" Lucas asked, pouring her a drink.

"I…" Sam stuttered. "I think it was a bad idea to come—"

_Bang!_

Screams pitched the air. Alexis immediately stood in front of Sam to shield her. She darted her head back and forth searching for Kristina and Molly, who were safely behind Chase and TJ. Then her eyes moved to the figure in a ski mask pointing a gun to the ceiling.

Jason ripped out his gun, but the man in the mask shook his head. "You better hand that over, or we'll blow this ship to kingdom come."


	29. Chapter 29

Hi everyone, I managed to finish this tonight even though I got a little sidetracked rping. Lol. Like with the court case scenes, I am not good with medical stuff, even though I have taken first aid many times for work and almost threw up each time. But I knew I had to do a bit in this scene. So again, please bear with me. It's just a small part though, I tried not to focus on it too much, might make me sick lol.

Anyway, a small part of this is dedicated to the guest. I think you'll know what I mean, and I hope you like it. Thank you for sticking by my story so steadfastly, I always look forward to reading your reviews.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 29**

"Hand it over, Morgan," the man in the ski man said. "The bomb is set to go off at midnight, but we have the power to do it sooner."

Jason continued to point his gun at him, not moving from his spot.

Alexis turned her head slightly to look at Sam behind her. Sam kept her eyes on Jason.

"Sir, you can take all the money we have on board," Lulu pleaded. "Please just don't hurt us."

The man laughed. "We don't want your money."

"Then what do you want?" Julian set his hands on his hips, looking at Alexis from the corner of his eye.

"Do you work for Marchesi?" Sonny blurted out.

"I said…" The shooter kept looking at Jason. "Hand over your gun."

"I'm not letting you hurt these people," Jason finally said. "Tell us what you want."

The man grinned. "Right now, _your gun_, Mr. Morgan."

Jason's nostrils flared, not giving up his gun.

"All right then," the man said. "_Do it_."

A scream ripped through the air.

"I've got the daughter," another man's voice called out.

"No!" Chase shouted.

"KRISTINA!" Molly cried.

Alexis' heart stopped and she whipped her head around.

The voice belonged to another man in a ski mask who had pulled Kristina away from Chase, gripping her with his arm, and holding a gun to her head.

"NO!" Alexis started towards her, but Julian held her back. "Let her go, you bastard!"

"Jason, give the man your gun," Sonny said.

Jason stepped forward and handed his weapon to the first man.

"Very good. That wasn't so hard now, was it?" the first man said.

"Okay, you've had your little laugh, now let Kristina go!" Alexis yelled, body shaking.

"Lex… _shh_…" Julian whispered.

Kristina's face was pale, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Nuh uh." A woman in a ski masked stepped into the room and ripped Elizabeth's cell phone out of her hand. She pulled out what looked like a reusable shopping bag and shoved it into Elizabeth's hand. "What is your name, dear?"

"Elizabeth…"

"Everyone, cell phones out," the woman said. "Elizabeth is going to collect them. _Now_!"

Elizabeth hastened around the room collecting all the phones.

"Just tell us what you want," Sonny said, dropping his phone into the bag and stepping a little closer.

"Any closer, and she's dead," the second man said pulling his finger down on the trigger.

Alexis screamed, trying to break free of Julian's grip. "_No_! _No_!"

Sam darted in front of Julian and Alexis. "If you want a hostage, take me instead."

Alexis grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to her. "_This is not your battle_," Alexis said through gritted teeth."_Your priorities are at home. This is _my _priority. Now get behind your father._"

The whites of Sam's eyes grew wide and Julian pulled her behind him, allowing Alexis to break free of his hold on her.

"I'll be your hostage," Alexis said, stepping closer the second man and Kristina. "Let my daughter go."

"_Lex_, no!"

The man chuckled. "We don't want you. This is about the Corinthos mob family."

"Then take me. I'm the one you want," Sonny exclaimed.

The man shook his head. "We all know that's not the way to get to you—"

Chase jumped behind him and yanked his wrist, pulling him and the gun away from Kristina. She darted into Alexis' arms, Sonny kissing the top of her head. Chase and the man struggled with the gun. Jason tackled the first man, trying to seize his weapon, while Michael grabbed hold of the woman's wrist when—

_Bang_!

_Bang_!

_Bang_!

Three gunshots went off. Alexis' eyes darted around the room. Hayden was kneeling next to Elizabeth, blood gushing out of her abdomen. Jason's mouth hung open and he let go of the first hostage taker. Lulu was screaming, next to Dustin whose chest was bleeding. But Alexis felt her body go numb at the third victim. She let go of Kristina and sprang over to Molly, Kristina following her. TJ was holding pressure below her shoulder, blood surging from the wound.

"No…" Alexis sobbed at Molly's side, her lips turning grey.

"FINN GET OVER HERE!" Alexis heard Hayden yell.

"I need a belt… anything…" TJ shouted, then shook his head. "Here, Alexis, hold the wound."

Alexis took over applying the pressure. Her hands soaking in Molly's blood as TJ ripped off his belt and tied it just above the wound. Molly's eyes were wide, and she struggled for air.

TJ shook his head.

"HELP! WE NEED A DOCTOR OVER HERE," Lulu's voice hollered. "WHERE IS LUCAS!?"

Alexis looked up, not letting go of Molly's wound. Sonny, Michael, and Chase had the three hostage-takers pinned to the ground, Jordan pulling out her handcuffs. Jason and Hayden were hovering next to Elizabeth as Finn was kneeling over her, his doctor's bag open and beside him. Lulu was crouched beside Dustin. Kevin and Laura ran over to them.

"I'll do what I can!" Alexis heard Kevin say.

Alexis continued to search the room. But Julian, Sam, and Lucas were nowhere in sight. She turned her attention back to Molly. "How bad is it?"

"Please, Molly. Please be okay," Kristina cried.

Without responding, TJ tore off his buttoned-up shirt and rolled it up tight. "Okay, Alexis. Let go."

Alexis let go, her hands dripping with blood. TJ tied his shirt around the wound as Molly's eyes started to close.

"No, Molly, stay with us!" Alexis pleaded.

"Molly, you need to stay awake" TJ tapped her cheeks, but she passed out.

"You may think you've won, Corinthos," the second hostage taker spat out as Chase cuffed him. "But we've still got a bomb on board that can go off any minute. The boss is watching."

"And this is only the beginning," the female taker said. "He'll get those little ones of yours."

"Elizabeth! Elizabeth!" Alexis looked up as Hayden banged the floor beside her. Jason was whiter than a ghost.

"Lulu, I'm sorry." Kevin lowered his gaze. "I couldn't save him. Dustin is dead."

"No!" Lulu cried.

Alexis felt the colour drain from her face. "Molly, baby, please wake up!"


	30. Chapter 30

Wow, chapter 30. I wish I could write my original stuff at this rate. Okay, still lots of drama to come. Geez, this story is becoming about everyone sorting their priorities when the title was originally about Sam and her priorities lol. I have let you guys know my thoughts on the mob, but I don't mind if there's aspects of it on the show (though I'd be fine if it disappeared really). It's just when the mobsters are the good guys and anyone who disagrees with them are either crazy, stupid, or evil bothers me. How many bad or stupid cops have there been? And what's worse that the writers think children should be raised in the mob (as much as I love Michael, there is no way he'd turn out the way he did, he'd have way more problems and would probably have an addiction of sorts. And Kristina would have turned out better imo because she was protected for the most part from it. She'd probably just have emotional issues because of Sonny and the kidnapping, etc). If they did it something like this, I'd be fine with the mob. So anyway, enough babbling from me, enjoy!

**Chapter 30**

"Please, Molly! Open your eyes!" Alexis begged, her face wet with tears.

Kristina's face was buried in her hands. TJ's eyes welled up.

"Everyone hands up!" About ten cops stormed in, guns ready. Behind them paramedics pulled three stretchers in. One went to Dustin, one to Elizabeth, and the last to Molly. The cops took the three hostage-takers away.

Alexis stepped aside, clenching her teeth, and wrapped an arm around Kristina. TJ helped the medics lift Molly onto the stretcher and they replaced TJ's blood-soaked shirt with gauze and bandages, and stuff Alexis didn't know what was called.

Curtis and Chase, who Alexis didn't even notice leave, walked in carrying a device—explosives with a clock on it.

"We found it," Chase said, handing it over to Jordan.

"It's been dismantled," Curtis said.

"Take Elizabeth first," Finn said, looking between Elizabeth and Molly. "The location of her injury is more severe."

"I'm going with her," Hayden said, following Finn behind the stretcher.

Jason stood there for several seconds, tears in his eyes. Carly started to walk up behind him, but before he noticed her, he turned and went after the stretcher.

Alexis sighed. The remaining police officers went around the room to question the witnesses.

Finally, they began to wheel Molly away.

"I'm coming!" Alexis called out but turned to Kristina quickly. "Can you get a ride with Michael? Chase will probably be held up."

She nodded, face pale. "We'll meet you there."

Alexis followed after TJ, passing Lulu who was hovering over Dustin's body crying.

GHGHGH

The ER was filled with people coughing, limping, and bleeding. They rushed Molly through.

Epiphany hurried over and checked Molly over. "That poor girl… we have a shortage of doctors tonight. Dr. Finn is already operating on Elizabeth. We're trying to get a hold of Dr. Jones."

Alexis groaned. "Our cell phones were confiscated. He disappeared from the ship. There has to be another doctor!"

"Can't I just operate on her?" TJ pleaded, breathing heavily.

"You are a medical student, Mr. Ashford," Epiphany said. "Dr. Randolph is in surgery but will be available shortly, unless Dr. Finn is free before that."

They wheeled Molly behind a curtain.

"Everyone out, we need to check the patient!" Epiphany ordered as Felix and Brad hurried in.

"I'm staying," TJ insisted, not leaving Molly's side.

"Alexis, please," Epiphany said again. "We need room to work."

Alexis groaned and exited through the curtain. She buried her face in her hands and cried but looked up when she heard a voice.

"I don't know what I'll do if something happens to my sister." Hayden was sitting with Jason on a nearby bench. "We haven't known each other that long, but she makes me want to be a better person."

Jason nodded. "That's who she is."

"And her boys… it will just destroy their world if she doesn't survive."

"Is anyone with the boys tonight?" Jason asked.

"Jax and Josslyn are at our place with the boys and Violet. And the guards…" She looked up at Alexis, who was chewing her nails. "Your daughter… she was shot too. How's she doing?"

"Waiting on a doctor," Alexis said, barely above a whisper. "Any word on Elizabeth?"

Hayden shook her head. "Nothing. Finn took her right in for surgery when we got here."

"Mom!" Kristina rushed over and hugged Alexis, Michael trailing behind her.

"How's Molly?" Michael asked.

"We're still waiting on a doctor," Alexis said.

The curtains parted. Epiphany, TJ, Felix, and Brad wheeled Molly out.

"Just got word, Elizabeth's surgery is done," TJ said. "Finn's meeting us in the OR."

"Wait…" Hayden rose. "Is she okay?"

"All we know is she made it through the surgery," Epiphany said.

Alexis leaned over and kissed Molly's clammy forehead. "I love you, baby. I'll be right here when you wake up."

Kristina squeezed Molly's hand before she was taken to the elevators.

"Ms. Davis? Ms. Barnes?" A young police officer stepped over to them. "Actually, all of you were on the Haunted Star. We have your cell phones." She lifted a Ziploc bag and opened it. She handed each of them their phones.

"I can take Elizabeth Webber's," Hayden extended her hand and took it from the officer.

"And I'll take Molly's," Kristina said.

Alexis looked at her phone and it said 48 missed calls from Bobbie. It started to ring at the same time as one of the phones Hayden was holding.

"Jax is trying to call Elizabeth…" Hayden answered it. "Jax?"

Alexis pressed her phone to her ear. "Bobbie? Everything okay with the kids?"

"Alexis it's me," Lucas said on the other end.

"Lucas? Are you, Sam, and your father okay? You disappeared from the ship…"

"What you last said to Sam about priorities really got to us. Dad started to think everything at the party was to distract us. That Marchesi is targeting Sonny and Jason's kids. Hence why they went after Kristina tonight. Dad hesitated, he didn't want to leave you, but he knew he had to check on Leo since he was with Danny and Scout. So, we snuck out."

"And are the kids all right?"

"We were too late. Two men shot down the guards and knocked Mom out… she's fine now but was out for a long time. They took Danny."

"_What_?" Her heart sped.

"Leo saw it all. He's all shaken. The men said they'd kill Scout if Danny didn't go willingly."

"Oh my gosh."

"Dad and Sam went to find him. The cops are on their way. Is Kristina all right?"

"She's fine… but Molly was shot."

"_What_? Is she okay?"

"She was just taken in for surgery, there was a shortage of doctors."

"Do they need me to come in?"

"No," Alexis said. "Stay with the kids and give them a kiss from me. Stay safe and keep me posted." She tucked her phone away, just as Hayden hung up.

"Oh my gosh." Hayden's face was pale. "Jake was abducted tonight."

Jason stepped closer to her, clenching his fist.

"Two guys broke in after killing the guards. Jax and Cameron tried to fight them off, but both of them were knocked out. I guess one of them held a gun to Aiden and said they'd shoot if Jake didn't go with them."

Jason hastened to leave, but Alexis called out to him. "Danny was taken tonight too. They're targeting the kids."

Jason looked at Hayden. "Keep me posted on Elizabeth." He ran to the elevators and disappeared.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

Alexis paced up and down the waiting area. Michael and Kristina had gone for a walk over a half hour ago, and Hayden was taken to see Elizabeth. Alexis ran her jittery hands through her hair. She couldn't understand what was taking the surgery so long. Molly. Her last baby. She was the innocent bystander in this. It was Sam and Kristina who were connected to the mob, but this time it was her youngest in there fighting for her life. No matter what, the violence would always affect her family. And to top it all off… her grandson was missing, and Julian and Sam were putting themselves in danger to save him. This wasn't exactly what she meant when she told Sam her priorities were at home. But she would do the same thing for her children, and at least Julian was with her.

Kristina walked up beside her and handed her a coffee. "Here, Mom."

"Thank you." Alexis tried to take a sip, but her hands were so shaky she couldn't hold it to her mouth very long.

"Michael went home. He wants me to let him know when Molly's out of surgery."

Alexis nodded.

"She's gonna be okay, right?" Kristina looked up at her, her green eyes puffy from crying.

"She has to be." Alexis wrapped her arms around her. "She just has to… No… she _will_ be. We have to stay positive."

"And Danny… he must be so scared." Kristina sobbed against Alexis.

"I know. But Julian and Sam will bring him home. If not, the cops are searching, and even Jason is going to look for them. Both Danny and Jake will be fine. And at least they're together. Well I hope they are anyway."

"Alexis…" Finn came over, out of breath.

Alexis kept an arm around Kristina. "How did it go?"

"The surgery was successful," he said.

Alexis sighed in relief.

"We were able to remove the bullet with no lasting damage. She lost a lot of blood and will need some transfusions, but I have no doubt she'll make a full recovery."

"Thank God." Alexis smiled a little.

"Do you need us to give blood?" Kristina asked.

"That would be good. She'll be in recovery for about an hour, before she's moved to a room. Unfortunately, we're really full tonight. We're moving her into Elizabeth's room."

"That's fine, I'm just so grateful." She hugged him. "Thank you, Finn."

"One of the nurses will let you know when she's out of recovery," Finn said. "In the meantime, you can go to blood clinic."

"Thank you, doctor," Kristina said as Finn walked away.

Alexis hugged Kristina again. "I better call Ric. I'll do that while we give blood."

"Are you sure Molly will want him here?" Kristina asked. "He'll probably come right on the next flight."

"Yes. No matter how mad she is, she'd want him here. And she needs to know that he's here for her."

GHGHGH

_Corinthos Morgan Imports were bolded in white letters in front of her. Heart speeding up, she ran towards the door. "KRISTINA!" She shouted, but white smoke exploded the door off the hinges, and she flew backwards. _

_ She gathered to her feet and stormed into the warehouse; the room enveloped in smoke. "KRISTINA!" She rummaged through the debris until she spotted her sister's carrot red hair, blood dripping from both sides of her mouth. "Oh my gosh, Kristina!"_

_ "Mom, help me!" _

_ Alexis whipped her head around. A man in a ski mask had a gun to Kristina Jr.'s head. Then he pointed the gun in front of him and shot it. Molly screamed and dropped to the ground, bleeding below her shoulder._

_ "NO! MOLLY!" Alexis darted towards her, but the ceiling caved. Alexis fell back. Too much debris blocked her way to Molly._

_ "No!" Leo was screaming from the bottom of a bunk bed, sitting on the other side of the debris, as Danny was dragged from the top._

_ "LET HIM GO!" Sam walked in carrying a gun, Julian beside her._

_ Danny was crying, struggling to break free of his captor, when—_

_ Boom!_

_ Another bomb exploded sending Alexis to the ground again. She struggled to her feet and she was now in the St. Anne's Cemetery. Six tombstones stood uniform before her. Kristina Sr., Julian, Sam, Kristina Jr., Molly, and Danny's names displayed on them. Lucas, Leo, and Wiley, all in black, stood in front of the gravestones._

"_NOO!" Scout was huddled behind Sam's grave, screaming as Jason walked towards her._

_ "No, please," Alexis shouted, looking up at the sky. "Give us another chance! Please… Please…"_

_ "No! No! No!" Scout kept yelling._

_ "Please…"_

"Mom?" A hand touched Alexis' shoulder and she jolted awake. Kristina was standing over her chair at the blood clinic. "You passed out while giving blood and kept screaming."

Alexis rubbed her dizzy head and her eyes went to the cotton ball taped under her elbow. "Molly… anything—"

"Still not out of recovery. I called Ric for you. He's catching the red eye. He'll be here tomorrow."

"Good. You know I'd give anything to hear one of her soliloquies again."

Kristina groaned. "Uhhh… be careful what you wish for. She doesn't seem to write those as much as she used to."

Alexis laughed. "Well she wants to write a book about me and Julian… hopefully the anaesthetic makes her forget about that."

Kristina rolled her eyes. "I wish she'd write mysteries instead… but remember when we tried setting you up with Mac?"

"Ugh… how can I forget?"

"It was all her idea. Well and Robin partly… but it wasn't just because she's a hopeless romantic. She saw all you did for us and hated seeing you alone. She just wants the best for us."

"I am so blessed to have you three girls. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Oh, come on," Kristina said. "Molly's gotta be your favourite. She causes the least trouble and is sticking through college."

"I don't have a favourite. And it was never about college and achievements. I just wanted you girls to be able to stand on your own feet and not depend on a man. I know all of you are capable of that, no matter what you do." She sighed, thinking of Sam depending on Jason.

"Thanks, Mom."

"Alexis…" Epiphany walked in. "Molly's in her room now. She's not awake, but you can go see her."


	32. Chapter 32

Wow, so my mind wandered at work today and I think I've figured out the rest of the story leading into a potential sequel, and boy am I surprised at where I'm going to take it. I am stoked, I just hope I can do it justice. I've even started to map an outline which I've never done for a fanfic before, I usually just wing it and make some plans in my head lol. The only clues I'm going to give are that I think most of you will like it, probably not Jasam fans though (but I warned at the beginning that this is anti-Jasam), I'm going to have to do a lot of research, and I'm going to have to get Alexis involved in more of the action so I can show it unfold.

So, fasten your seatbelts, ladies (and gentlemen?), it's going to be a bumpy ride!

**Chapter 32**

When Alexis and Kristina walked into the hospital room, Elizabeth was talking to Hayden, though very groggy and tears spilling down her cheeks. Molly was still unconscious, TJ at her side, holding her hand. Kristina sat on the edge of the bed and Alexis kissed Molly's forehead. Blood dripped from a bag and flowed through a tube into Molly's arm.

Elizabeth began ripping her IV from her arm and attempted to climb out of bed but screeched in pain.

Hayden held her arms down. "What are you doing?"

"If Jake is missing, I need to find him," Elizabeth cried.

"No, you need to heal," Hayden said. "The cops and Jason are looking for him. Maybe it was too soon to tell you…"

"No, I needed to know."

"Just focus on getting better. I'll go down to the PCPD tomorrow to see what's going on."

"I can't lose him… not again."

"You won't. They'll find him."

"Can you go home?" Elizabeth asked. "Please check on Cam and Aiden… they must be so scared."

"Are you sure? Will you be okay?"

"I will when I know all my boys are safe."

Hayden kissed her cheek and squeezed her hand. "I'll be back tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you too."

Hayden left and Elizabeth closed her eyes.

"How is Molly doing?" Alexis asked TJ.

"She still hasn't woken up," TJ said. "The anaesthesia should have worn off by now. It's just due to blood loss. Finn is certain she'll be fine though."

"She better be," Kristina said, tucking some of Molly's hair behind her ear.

"I'm going to talk to Finn, I'll be right back." TJ kissed Molly's fingers and headed out of the room.

"Come on, Mol. Please wake up," Kristina said. "I'm here and Mom's here."

"And your dad is on his way," Alexis added. She took "We love you so much, sweetie."

"Ahhhh!"

Alexis whipped her head around. Elizabeth's hands were pressed to her head.

"Elizabeth?" Alexis raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"

She rocked her head for a few seconds, then lowered her hands. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Do you want us to get the doctor?" Kristina asked.

"No, it's all right," Elizabeth said.

"Are you sure?" Alexis asked. "Could it be from the surgery?"

"No. I get headaches a lot. Just stress. I just need a good sleep." She closed her eyes again.

Alexis shrugged and turned back to Molly. "Come on, baby girl. Please wake up. You have so many people who love you. Me, your dad, TJ, Sam, Kristina, Danny, Scout."

Molly's hand started to squeeze Alexis' and her eyes slowly opened.

Alexis smiled, tears springing her eyes. "Hey, Mol."

"Mom…" she muttered.

"Oh Molly, we were so worried about you!" Kristina exclaimed.

Molly swallowed hard and squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again. "What happened?"

"Well, what do you last remember, sweetheart?" Alexis asked.

She licked her white, dry lips. "Haunted Star… TJ… Ski mask had Krissy… then a bang."

Alexis nodded. "You were shot. But the doctor says you're going to be just fine."

GHGHGH

Alexis woke with a kink in her neck from sleeping in the chair by Molly's bedside. TJ had slept in the other chair meant for Elizabeth's guests, but he wasn't there when she woke up. He must have been finding out more about Molly's recovery from Finn.

Molly was still sleeping soundly, and Elizabeth was looking at her phone.

A pattering sound drew her attention to the door and Ric came in out of breath.

"I got here as soon as I could. How is she?"

Elizabeth lowered her phone.

"Finn says she's going to make a full recovery," Alexis said. "She's very weak though. She lost a lot of blood.

He walked over to her bedside and kissed her forehead. "I'm here now, Molly." He looked over at Elizabeth. "Elizabeth? Why are you here?"

"I was shot to," Elizabeth said. "At the same party."

"I need to go home to check on the kids," Alexis said. "Can you let her know I'll be back later?"

"Yeah, of course," Ric responded.

Alexis kissed the top of Molly's head and left the room. She made her way to the elevators but stopped when she saw Monica in a wheelchair with Ned and Olivia at the nurse's station.

"Monica, how are you?" Alexis asked.

"Well, the good news is, I'm being discharged," Monica said. "But I just heard about Jake and Danny."

"Is Leo okay?" Olivia asked. "We got back late last night. I was going to wait until the afternoon to pick him up, but we just heard."

"I'm on my way home to check on them," Alexis said. "I've been here all night with Molly. Lucas says Leo is shaken up, but the kidnappers didn't harm him."

Olivia sighed. "I'm so sorry about Danny."

"Julian and Sam are looking for them. And so are the police and Jason."

"I'm sure they'll be found soon," Ned said. "Apparently Sonny's youngest daughters were taken too."

Alexis' eyes grew wide. "Again? They're really targeting the kids."

"Please, if you hear anything, let us know," Monica said. "I'd love a visit from my grandchildren."

"Of course."

GHGHGH

Alexis turned the knob and walked into her house. Lucas was on the couch with his arm around a shaking Leo, and Scout was curled up in a ball on the floor. Wiley was the only one acting normal—toddling around the living room knocking things to the floor.

Alexis sighed and knelt beside Scout. "Cookie? Grandma's here."

She looked up at her. "You said Danny's daddy wouldn't take Danny."

Alexis stroked Scout's hair. "Danny daddy didn't take him. It was a bad man, but we're going to find him."

"Leo said Danny was scared."

Alexis nodded. "He probably was."

"Danny don't get scared. He's brave."

"He is very brave, but it's okay to feel scared sometimes," Alexis said.

Scout stuck out her lower lip. "I'm scared."

Alexis wrapped an arm around her. "I know. Grandma's scared too."

"Really?"

"Really. But I also have faith in your mommy, your grandpa, and the police. They're going to find him."

"Leo and Scout didn't get much sleep last night," Lucas said. "The police had to question Leo, and Scout heard all the commotion and woke up."

"Then you two must be very tired," Alexis said.

Scout hiccoughed. "Yeah."

"Do you want to go have a nap?"

Scout shook her head. "I'm too scared."

"What if you and Leo sleep in Grandma's bed? Will that make you feel better to have Leo with you?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Is that okay with you, Leo?"

He nodded.

Alexis took Leo and Scout up to her bedroom and stayed with them until they fell asleep, with Annabelle the second between them. She headed back to the living room and sat next to Lucas, who scooped up Wiley onto his lap.

"I'm supposed to go to work soon," Lucas said. "But I can call in if you need me to stay with the kids."

"No, you should go. You need a break from all this. I'll have Kristina come over a little later so I can go see Molly again."

"How's she doing?" he asked.

"Good, overall. Just weak from all the blood loss."

"I'm glad. I'll definitely check in on her."

She heard a click and the front door opened. Julian and Sam walked in, bags under their eyes, and Sam was crying.

Alexis' heart sank. It had to be bad news. She and Lucas rose, and Sam ran into Alexis' arms, sobbing into her shoulder.

"What happened?" Lucas asked.

"We checked all of Marchesi's secret hideouts that I know about," Julian said. "But there was no sign of them or any of Marchesi's men."

Alexis rubbed small circles on Sam's back, not letting go. "We're going to find him."

"We heard on the radio about Molly," Julian said. "Is she okay?"

Sam wept harder and clung tighter to Alexis.

"She's going to be fine," Alexis reassured them. "She made it through surgery and is recovering nicely." She let go of holding Sam and cupped her face in her hands, wiping her tears away with her thumbs.

"Ooooww…" Sam pulled away from her and cradled her head in her hands.

Alexis placed a hand on her back. "Sam?"

"Are you all right?" Julian stepped closer to her.

Sam rubbed her temples. "Just a headache. I need to go back out there and look for Danny."

"Well, I think you need to go upstairs and have a nap first," Alexis said. "You've been up all night, that's probably why you're having… such a bad headache."

"I can't sleep while Danny's who knows where…"

"The cops are still looking, and no doubt Sonny and Jason have men looking," Julian pointed out. "We'll search more later."

"Well, I would like to peek in on Scout… if she'll let me."

"She's up in my bed sleeping," Alexis said.

"Yeah, she and Leo didn't get much sleep last night," Lucas said.

"Come on." Julian took her arm. "I'll go sleep in Lucas' room." He led her to the stairs.

Alexis placed a hand on her forehead. "I can't believe this is happening… but I should be used to it by now."

"There you are."

Alexis looked up, and Carly was standing in the doorway.

She walked in, eyes red and puffy. "Lucas, we need to talk."

"Well, I'm headed to work soon," he said. "Any word on Avery and Donna?"

She shook her head. "No. Sonny and Jason are out looking for them. We need to talk about Wiley."

Alexis groaned.

"Michael and I agreed he'd stay with me until they catch the people behind all these attacks."

"But last night just proved he's not safe here either," Carly said. "Lucas, you've been very good to him, but he's Michael's son. He was taken from him when he was born and belongs with him."

Lucas hugged Wiley tightly. "He's my son too, and I'm not giving him up."

"You can still have a place in his life, but he needs to be with Michael."

"Carly, shouldn't you be focused on your daughter right now?" Alexis asked.

"I am," she said. "But there's nothing I can do at the moment so I'm going to help Michael in the meantime."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Michael agreed that he and Lucas should share custody."

"But Michael was the victim in all this."

"Lucas was a victim too," Alexis said. "But what matters the most is Wiley's well-being. And he deserves to have both Lucas and Michael."

"I'm done with this conversation," Lucas spoke up. "This is between me and Michael. Now I have to get to work. I'm going to lay Wiley down for a nap. Don't let her take him, Alexis." He took Wiley upstairs.

Carly shook her head. "You are taking this way too far."

Alexis scrunched her face. "Excuse me?"

"You honestly think you can micro-manage everyone lives and get away with—gah!" She threw her hands to her head.

Alexis squinted her eyes, mouth slightly agape.

"Not again…" Carly muttered, but then stood up straight. "What I was trying to say, is you won't get away with this."

"Mom, I can't sleep," Sam walked down the stairs, but came to a halt when she saw Carly.

"Good, I was hoping to talk to you too," Carly said.

Alexis sighed.

"You can not let your mother manipulate you like this." Carly crossed her arms. "She did this to you before, surely you know by now not to listen to her. You and Jason belong together. The kids should be with him."

Sam lowered her gaze to the floor.

"Carly, please—" Alexis started.

"You should pack Scout up and take her back to Jason's right now," Carly said.

"NOOOO!" Scout screamed from the staircase and ran behind the couch. "_No_! _No_! _No_!"

"See, Sam," Carly said. "She's even turned Scout against him."

Sam rushed over to Scout and knelt beside her, rubbing her back. "It's okay, baby. We don't have—"

"_Noooo_!" Scout darted away from Sam and crashed into Alexis' arms.

Carly huffed. "I hope you're proud of yourself, Alexis. Now she's afraid of both of her parents." She headed to the doorway. "This isn't over." She slammed the door behind her causing Scout to jolt in Alexis' arms.

"Cookie, it's okay," Alexis said, kissing the top of her head.

Her eyes moved to Sam. Sam's lip trembled and she scrambled up the stairs.

GHGHGH

It took Alexis over an hour to get Scout to calm down and fall back to sleep beside Leo. Annabelle the Second was no longer on the bed. She passed by Lucas' room, Julian snoring in his bed. She made her way to Sam's room, but stopped in the doorway.

"I don't know what to do." Sam was sitting up in bed, looking down at Annabelle the Second on her lap. "My kids hate me… Molly hates me… Mom's probably ashamed of me."

Alexis placed her hand over her heart, eyes welling with tears.

"I don't know what's wrong with me," Sam continued. "I want to be there for Danny and Scout… but I have this pull towards Jason. I was alone my entire life, I lost brother, I lost my daughter… he became everything to me. I was a nobody that didn't matter, until he made me feel like I matter. But then when I'm with him, I make poor choices…"

Alexis pushed away her tears with the back of her hand.

"It's like something inside me pushes me into dangerous situations so Jason can save me… so I can experience that feeling that I matter again. But then he gets a call from Sonny or Carly and he disappears, and I'm back to facing the truth. That I don't matter."

"You've always mattered…" Alexis walked in and climbed beside her on the bed, wrapping her arms around her. "To me. You always did and always will."

Sam started to cry and wrapped her arms around Alexis' waist.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

Alexis rolled over in bed and wrapped her arm across Julian's shirtless abs. She tossed and turned most of the night and maybe got two hours' worth of sleep. Julian's snoring didn't help matters, but while Molly was getting better every day, it had been over a week since Danny and the other children were abducted.

Julian stirred and grinned at Alexis. "Well, this is nice. I think that's most I've slept all week."

"Thank you, for helping Sam." She kissed his shoulder. "I wish I could go with you on your searches. Maybe once Molly's home… but hopefully Danny's found before that."

"I just wish we could get Sam out of bed for other purposes than following a lead or going to the PCPD."

Alexis sighed. "She's depressed."

"Seems that way."

"I'm going to try to convince her to go visit Molly with me today."

"Lex, you tried that the other day," Julian said, running his fingers through her hair. "She thinks Molly doesn't want to see her."

"Molly's still angry at her, but I know she wants her big sister there. They're both hurting. They need each other."

GHGHGH

Sam was sitting up in bed, legs arched, pencil in her right hand and a notebook against her thighs. She wrapped a fist around the pencil and scribbled something out.

"Journaling your thoughts?" Alexis walked in.

"No. Trying to draw… I just can't do it like I used to."

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you liked to draw."

"I always have. But you don't have any paints…"

"Well, I can get you some if you'd like."

Sam smiled slightly. "I'd like that. You know… painting gives me this feeling of power. Like if I can get it right, then I can make people see things differently. And it doesn't matter how hard it's going to be because it's all worth it."

"Uhhh… Where is all this passion for art coming from?"

"I've always had it."

"Well, what are you trying to draw?" Alexis asked.

Sam beamed and showed her a scribbly drawing. "The wind."

Alexis couldn't help but think Sam did not have a knack at drawing. "The wind?"

"Yeah. How the wind makes me feel when I'm on the back of Jason's motorcycle."

"Okay…"

"Like the world is just screening by and nothing matters but the wind. And it's trying to carry me," Sam swung the pencil in front of her, "and take me away, and I feel like if I let go I could almost fly!"

"All right, well I can pick up some paint from Michael's today… but I wanted to ask if you'd come visit Molly with me."

Sam's smiled turned downward and she began fidgeting with her pencil. "She won't want to see me."

"Well, I think you're wrong. I think you both need each other."

Sam shook her head. "It has to be on Molly's time. Besides, I want to be here in case there's another lead on Danny." She lowered her voice. "But can you please send her my love?"

Alexis nodded. "I will."

GHGHGH

When Alexis arrived in Molly and Elizabeth's hospital room, Elizabeth was reading a magazine and Ric was talking to Molly. Molly's muscles seemed tense and it appeared Ric was doing all the talking.

"You know, I'm thinking of moving back to Port Charles," Ric said. "I never should have moved away in the first place. This long distance-relationship with you has been hard on both of us. Besides," he looked back at Elizabeth. "This is where I belong."

"Hey, Mol." Alexis kissed her cheek.

"Hi Mom."

"How was your night?"

"Fine. I slept well."

"Sam sends you her love," Alexis said. "I know she wants to be here… but she needs to focus on finding Danny."

Molly smiled slightly.

Alexis turned around. "How are you feeling, Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth sighed and shifted awkwardly. "Much better, I'm just ready to get out of here."

"I don't blame you."

"You know, when Jake comes home, I think I'll take the boys to Florida. Teach them how to salvage dive."

Alexis gaped at her.

Ric twisted his face. "Since _when_ do _you _salvage dive?"

She shrugged. "It's a favourite pastime of mine. I've always loved the water."

"Huh?" Ric said exasperated.

TJ walked in with a big smile on his face. "Good news, Mol. I just talked to Finn. You're being released today."

Alexis beamed. "That _is _good news."

Molly smiled. "Finally."

"You too, Elizabeth," TJ said. "Would you like me to call Hayden for you?"

She shook her head. "That's okay, I can call her from my cell."

Ric scratched his chin. "I have a rental car. I could take you home, Elizabeth. That way Hayden doesn't have to leave the kids."

Elizabeth opened her mouth, then closed it. Swallowed. Then finally said, "I guess that would be all right."

"I'm done work in an hour," TJ said. "Then we can go home."

It felt strange knowing that Molly was being released but that she'd be going home with her fiancée and not Alexis. Her baby was a young woman now… yet… she would always be her little girl. As she headed to the elevator, the doors parted, and Jason wheeled Carly out in a wheelchair. Her hand was pressed tightly to her forehead.

"Jason, I'm fine!" Carly groaned. "Now take me home!"

"Sonny said you were curled up on the floor in agony," Jason said. "That's why he called me. He said your headaches are getting worse."

"Yeah, well he gets headaches too. And didn't you have one last week?"

He sighed. "Not like this."

Alexis cleared her throat. "Any luck finding the kids, Jason?"

He shook his head.

Carly glared at her. "Want them back don't you, so you can have them to yourself?"

Alexis squeezed her eyes shut. "Will you please just _stop_?"

Carly looked up at Jason, hand still pressed to her forehead. "You need to stop letting Alexis control the situation. Go right to her house and get Sam and Scout. They belong with you."

"_No_!" Alexis snapped. "Scout is terrified of him. If he forcibly removes them it'll only make her more traumatized."

Carly laughed and shook her head. "You're the one keeping them there by force. Sam is not Rapunzel and you are not Mother Gothel, you can't keep her locked in your tower forever."

"Carly, Alexis is right," Jason said. "Scout went in a complete panic when I brought them home for Christmas."

"That's because Alexis is insinuating fear into her," Carly said. "You need to talk to Sam, make her see reason. Scout won't get over her fear of you if you don't spend time with her."

Jason nodded. "Okay, I'll call Sam later and talk to her."

Alexis huffed and pushed the elevator button. "Well, not that this wasn't amusing, but I need to get home."

"Come on, Carly, let's go see a doctor," Jason said. He pushed her towards the nurse's station as the elevator doors closed.


	34. Chapter 34

Hey, so lots happening in this chapter. I just wanted to keep going lol. Everything is happening for a reason. And something you've been waiting for (regarding a certain blonde) happens. Hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 34**

Three weeks had passed since the children were kidnapped. When Leo came on weekends, he'd sleep with Scout in her twin bed. He did not want to be in his room without Danny. While he was gone, Scout would often come sleep with Alexis and Julian. She had a recurring nightmare that Jason would crash his car into her bedroom and take her and Wiley away. There were no new leads on the whereabouts of the Corinthos and Morgan children. Sam would go with either Julian, Alexis, or Lucas to the PCPD each day to check on the investigation status, but other than that she wouldn't leave her room and had headaches several times a week. She was at least doing something productive though… if you call very poorly painted scenes productive…

After putting Scout and Wiley to sleep, Alexis entered Sam's room, canvases and paint palettes were laid out on her unmade bed, dresser, desk, even on the floor. And paint blotches were splattered over her bed spread, sheets, and t-shirt and sweat pants.

"Hi Sam…" Alexis walked in. "Are you getting a lot of work done?"

Sam threw the canvas she was working on against the wall. "I just can't get it right."

"I think you could use a little break." She started to smile. "I thought it would be nice if we went downstairs and have some Chamomile, just like we used to."

"Thanks, but I don't like Chamomile. Tastes like flowers."

Alexis felt like a knife pierced her heart. "But Chamomile is your favourite… our favourite… the first time we ever bonded was over making Chamomile, that first night you came to live with me. It was the first thing we realized we had in common. You asked if I like to salvage dive and I thought you were joking."

"Salvage dive?" Sam scrunched her face. "We didn't bond that year. You hated me."

"Sam, I never hated you…"

Sam picked up another canvas and made wide hard strokes. "This is my last canvas… can you get me some more?"

Sam's phone began to ring, and she scooped it off her bed. Her eyes grew wide. "It's Jason…"

Alexis sighed. "You better answer. It could be about Danny…"

Sam stared at it for several seconds before handing it to Alexis. "Can you?"

Alexis nodded. "All right." She pressed the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Alexis?" Jason's muffled voice appeared on the other end.

"Alexis!?" she heard Carly's voice boom in the background.

Alexis squeezed the bridge of her nose with her forefinger and thumb.

"Can I talk to Sam, please?" Jason asked.

"She's…" She looked over at Sam who shook her head. "Busy at the moment."

"Oh. Well I'll call later then…"

"Are you kidding me!?" Carly's voice rumbled. "Give me the phone… Alexis? Carly… put Sam on the phone right now!"

Alexis groaned. "She doesn't want to talk to him."

"You mean _you _don't want her to talk to him."

"Is this about Danny?" Alexis cut to the chase. "Has Jason found any leads?"

"No, unfortunately. I told Jason to call Sam weeks ago, and he didn't, so I'm giving him the support he needs."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Like I said, she doesn't want to talk to him. So, unless you find Danny, please stop badgering her." She hung up.

When she turned around, Sam was curled up in bed, facing the other direction. Alexis knelt down and kissed her forehead. "I love you, baby."

Alexis made her way downstairs and plopped down on the couch. She pulled her legs up and cried into her knees.

"Lex?" Julian entered the room and sat beside her. "What's wrong?"

She leaned against him. "Sam…"

He sighed. "I know. She's been acting strange with all the painting."

"But I just can't help but think… something more is going on."

"How do you mean?"

"I don't know… she claims to not like Chamomile, but that's something we bonded with. I don't know, maybe I'm imagining things. I just want my daughter back."

"Well, I wouldn't disregard your suspicions… but it could just be depression. She's in her room most of the day and night, but she doesn't sleep. She's angry, but it's good that she has art as an outlet, even if that came out of nowhere…"

The front door flew open and slammed against the wall. Carly stormed in, her pale face tense. She grabbed Alexis by the collar of her shirt and yanked her to her feet and slapped her in the face.

Alexis' hand went to her cheek.

"Whoa Carly…" Julian bolted to his feet and stood in front of Alexis. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"

Carly tucked some of her unkempt and greasy hair behind her ear and crossed her arm. "YOU HAVE A LOT OF NERVE NOT ALLOWING SAM TO ANSWER HER OWN PHONE!"

"Would you keep your voice down?" Alexis said through gritted teeth. "The children are sleeping."

Carly laughed. "And those children happen to be my grandson and Jason's daughter that you're imprisoning upstairs!"

"She is not imprisoning anyone. They are safe and loved here until their parents get back on their feet."

"Their parents are Michael and Jason. They are perfectly capable of keeping them safe and loved."

Alexis scrunched her face. "Did you ever find out what those headaches are about?"

"Nothing. The CT scans and MRIs came back fine… now _don't_ change the subject!"

Alexis threw her arms up. "I told you, Sam doesn't want to talk to Jason."

"If that's true, then Sam is just a messed-up waste of space just like her moth—"

Alexis pushed her way around Julian and grabbed Carly by the hair throwing her against the desk with a thud and she fell to the floor. Alexis dropped down beside her and pointed a shaky finger in front of Carly's stunned face. "You say what you want about me, but my children are off bounds. Now get out of my house and don't come back or I will get a restraining order."

Carly scrambled to her feet. "This isn't over. Michael will get Wiley and Jason will get Scout. I'll make sure of it."

Alexis shifted closer to her, hand raised. "_Get out_!"

GHGHGH

With Dotty the dalmatian in her arms, Scout walked beside Alexis, who was pushing Wiley in the stroller, as they went into Kelly's. Elizabeth, Cameron, Aiden, and Ric were sitting around a table with burgers in front of them. Elizabeth held her hand against her forehead and looked pale, with red circles around her eyes. But Alexis couldn't help but notice Cameron… Everyone else was almost finished their plates, but his was still full. And he looked rather yellow in the cheeks since the last time she saw him.

"Grandma, can I go say hi to Aiden?" Scout asked.

"Sure, Cookie. Grandma will go order, then we'll take dinner home to Grandpa, Mommy, and Uncle Lucas," Alexis said as she watched Scout run over to the table and Alexis made her way to the counter with Wiley.

"Aiden, stop fidgeting!" Elizabeth spoke harshly to him and he sat still.

"What can I get for you?" Trina, who recently started working there, appeared behind the counter.

"Four burgers and two kiddie burgers all with a side of fries, thanks." She sighed, thinking of the amount of take-out they were doing again. She looked over at the table and Scout was smiling and blushing at Aiden as he talked. Something about baking cookies. Cameron's eyes were glossy, and Elizabeth kept rubbing her temples, but Ric pulled one of her hands away and squeezed it with a grin on his face.

She turned back to Trina as she made a pot of coffee.

Her head whipped around when Elizabeth appeared beside her, rather shaky. "Can I get a cup of Chamomile tea?" she asked Trina.

Alexis' mouth dropped and she stared at Elizabeth for a several seconds before she shook her head. She was reading far too into this.

Seconds later, Trina handed Elizabeth a mug with a tea bag in it. Elizabeth took a sip, but spit it back out. "I don't understand!" Elizabeth kicked the counter. "I love Chamomile, but right now it just tastes like flowers!"

"Elizabeth," Alexis urged. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Feeling all right? My son is missing, of course I'm not all right!"

They turned when they heard a bang. Cameron was face down on the table, but bolted up quickly, blood streaming from his nose. Aiden and Scout's faces paled.

Elizabeth gaped at him, but then darted to his side. "Cam? What happened?"

Cameron grabbed a serviette and pressed it to his nose. "Just… nodded off… I'm fine…"

"Okay, enough is enough!" Trina zoomed out from behind the count. "You have to tell your mom!"

"I can't…" Cameron reached for another napkin, replacing it with the clean one.

"Then I will, because there's something wrong with you!" Trina persisted.

Scout ran to Alexis' side.

"What is going on?" Elizabeth asked.

"Cam, Joss, and I went to Marchesi's warehouse three days ago to find clues on Jake and them other kids…" Trina huffed.

"What?" Elizabeth put her arm around Cameron.

"There was lots of bottles and stuff on the shelves and we couldn't find a sign of anything," Trina continued. "So, we got out. But Cam realized he dropped his phone. He ran back inside. He accidentally knocked over a few bottles from the shelf and inhaled whatever was in them."

Alexis gasped.

"Cam, why didn't you tell me?" Elizabeth asked.

"We need… to find… Jake," Cam finally said. "And something wrong with you… Don't worry about me."

"Okay, I'm taking you to the hospital." She took his arm. "Ric, can you take Aiden home?"

"Well, I think I should go with you." He looked up at Alexis. "Can you drive Aiden to Hayden?"

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "Sure."

Ric and Elizabeth led Cameron out, each taking one of his arms.

Alexis looked down at Aiden.

"Is Cam okay?" he asked.

Alexis smiled slightly. "He's going to see a doctor, and the doctor is very good at making people feel better."

GHGHGH

After dropping Aiden off, Julian and Lucas sat down with Scout and Wiley to eat. Alexis took hers and Sam's burgers upstairs. She heard moaning and groaning. When she pushed open the door, Sam was curled up in a ball on the floor cradling her head.

"Sam?" She dropped the burger and rushed to her side. "Sam! Say something! What is happening?"

"My head…."

Alexis yanked her phone out of her pocket and dialed 911.

GHGHGH

Julian and Alexis ran off the elevators following the paramedics pushing Sam. Epiphany shone a light in Sam's eyes. "Okay, CT scan first."

"Wait…" Alexis tried to say, but they wheeled Sam away. She pushed her hands through her hair.

Julian kicked the counter of the nurse's station. "What the hell is going on with her?"

Alexis turned when she heard Finn talking to Elizabeth and Ric. Tears spilled down Elizabeth's cheeks.

"I'm really sorry, but Cameron has acute liver failure."

Elizabeth buried her face in her hands. "I missed it…"

"He'll need a liver transplant," Finn continued. "As you know, Cameron has a very rare blood type. Family members are our best chance, so you'll need to make some phone calls."

Elizabeth sobbed, then screeched, cradling her head in her hands.

"Elizabeth?" Ric placed a hand on her back.

The elevator doors parted, and Jason pushed Sonny, who held his head in his hands, in a wheelchair.

Elizabeth dropped to the ground, screaming in agony.


	35. Chapter 35

Super-duper excited about this chapter! Happy thanksgiving to all Americans!

**Chapter 35**

"We've run every test imaginable, but we can't find anything wrong with Sam," Lucas told Julian and Alexis the next morning. He had dropped off Scout and Wiley at Bobbie's before starting his shift.

"But there's obviously _something_ wrong with her," Julian urged.

Alexis stroked Sam's hair as she lay on the stretcher sleeping.

"And I know it. But the tests aren't showing a thing," Lucas continued. "Her symptoms match Sonny and Elizabeth's, as well as Carly's when she came in a few weeks ago. The most Finn and I decided is that they need to take it easy and we want them to come in once a week so we can monitor them. We'll also prescribe some pain killers to help with the headaches."

"That's it?" Alexis pressed. "There must be more we can do for her."

Sam started to stir and opened her eyes.

"How are you feeling, Sam?" Julian asked.

"Fine," Sam said. "Much better."

"You can go home now," Lucas said as he wrote on a piece of paper and handed it to Alexis. "A prescription for a pain killer… Sam, you just need to sign some papers at the nurse's station, but you're good to go. Just take it easy. And come back next Friday at 10:00am for a follow-up." He left through the curtain.

Alexis shook her head. "I'm so confused."

"I'm not." Sam jumped off the stretcher, as if nothing was wrong with her. "Let's get out of here."

When they reached the nurse's station, Sonny and Jason were there. Hayden, Ric, and Elizabeth were off to the side talking.

Sonny signed some papers, when Josslyn and Trina ran over.

"Jason!" Josslyn said out of breath. "I was just in Cam's room."

Elizabeth rushed over to her, Ric and Hayden following.

"Is he okay?" Elizabeth asked. The colour had returned to her cheeks since last night.

"This fell out of his jeans…" She handed Jason a blue watch.

He turned it over in his hands. "DM?"

Sam walked over to him and took it from him. "This is Danny's watch."

Alexis stepped closer to her. The letters DM were engraved on the back, tiny images of waves stood uniform along the straps. Tucked securely between the buckle was a tiny folded up piece of paper. Sam pulled it out and unfolded it. "Kailano Island."

"That's not far from Spoon Island," Alexis commented.

"Let me see," Elizabeth said, and Sam handed her the paper. "This is Jake's handwriting." Elizabeth locked eyes with Sam. "They're together."

"Cam must have found it when he went back in to get his phone," Josslyn said.

"But Sam and I searched that warehouse, we didn't find any clues," Julian said. "The cops did too."

"It must have been behind those toxins," Trina added. "He didn't just accidentally knock them over, he must have spotted this watch and knocked the bottles over while grabbing it."

"Then I guess we're going to Kailano Island," Julian said, looking at Sam.

"I hope Avery and Donna are with them," Sonny said.

Alexis sighed. Sam was supposed to be taking it easy, but she knew there'd be no stopping her from going. "I'm coming too."

Elizabeth rubbed her temples. "I want to go, but Cameron… Sarah and Steven are on their way to get tested, and so are a couple of Zander's cousins…"

"Then we'll stay here," Hayden said. "They have lots of people looking for the kids."

GHGHGH

The ferry ride was freezing and awkward. Jason and Sonny sat at the other end, while Sam sat with her parents, avoiding eye contact with Jason. She held Danny's watch tightly in her hands and kept looking down at it. There was no one on the ferry with them with the exception of the captain.

They arrived at the tiny island. Wyndemere Castle lit up in the distance. It wasn't anything like Valentin's current residence, but a colonial mansion wasn't very far from the launch.

Julian reached inside his coat and pulled out a gun.

Alexis gasped. "You still have your _gun_?"

Sam, Jason, and Sonny all prepared their guns too. Alexis threw her hands in the air.

"When we go in there we need to be on the offense," Julian said, nodding at Sam. "Attack them before they attack us."

Alexis' eyes bulged. "But what if the children are in there?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Mom, they're not going to have the children at the front door."

"Sam's right," Julian said. "They'd be locked in a room… if they're there. We need to act fast. Take them by surprise. Lex, I think you should wait on the ferry."

"I'm not sending our daughter in there while I wait on a cold boat! Besides, if my grandson is in there, I want to help."

"This isn't exactly your area of strength…" Julian said.

Alexis crossed her arms. "What's that supposed to mean? You think I'm weak?"

Sam facepalmed.

"No. You're just stronger in a courtroom."

"I think I'm with Dad on this…" Sam said softly.

Sonny sighed and Jason scratched his chin.

"I am going in there and no one is stopping me!" Alexis insisted.

"You don't even have a weapon," Julian pointed out.

Jason reached into his jeans and pulled out a second gun and extended it to Alexis.

Alexis gawked at it. "You carry two guns… of course you do."

"If you're coming you need to be able to defend yourself," Julian said.

Alexis scrunched her face and swallowed hard before taking Jason's gun.

They made their way to the front door and Julian turned to Sam. "Can you pick the lock?"

"Mom, I need one of your bobby pins," Sam said.

Alexis pulled one from her hair and handed it to her.

Sonny sighed. "I think if Jason and I just…"

The door gave a soft click and opened. Sam held the gun pointed upwards in front of her and stepped inside.

"NO!" Alexis blurted out. But then lowered her voice. "Be careful…"

Sam looked back and glared at her.

"Lex, be quiet…" Julian whispered.

They entered a vacant foyer. Jason slowly opened a door to the right and peeked inside. "Empty."

Sonny started to turn the doorknob on the left when a forty-something man with a black handlebar mustache and wearing a blue suit appeared at the end of the hallway. "Why Mr. Corinthos. Mr. Morgan." He turned to Julian. "And with Mr. Jerome. Impressive. I was beginning to think you weren't coming."

Julian, Sam, Sonny, and Jason pointed their guns at him. Alexis' eyes grew wide. "Is this Marchesi?"

"Oh, who is this pretty lady?" the man asked. "I am a Marchesi, yes. Just probably not the one you're referring to. My father is the boss. I am his first born. You may call me Francesco."

"Daddy couldn't face us himself?" Julian said through gritted teeth.

"He won't waste his time on the little battles, he's saving himself for the war," Francesco said.

"Where are the kids?" Sonny asked.

He smiled. "Such charming children they are. The boys are rather impudent. Haven't been exposed to much discipline until now."

Alexis' stomach went hollow.

Sam made to dart at him, but Julian held her back. "_What did you do to my son_?"

"Nothing he didn't deserve. Now, please. Come join us in our meeting. We have much to discuss."

He walked further down the hall and opened a door on the right. "Come."

They all exchanged glances but followed, still keeping their weapons ready.

Four bulky men stood around the room, hands folded in front of them. A tall lanky 20-something woman with a short, low-cut cocktail dress stood next to a desk, making eyes with Francesco as he walked in. A man who looked identical to Francesco, but with no mustache sat behind the desk facing a man Alexis and the others knew.

"Peter August…" Sam muttered.

Peter grinned. "Hello, Sam."

"So, you know Henrik," Francesco said. "And this is my twin brother, Alessandro."

"Pleasure," Alessandro said.

"You were behind the kidnappings?" Sonny asked Peter.

"_We_ were," Peter corrected him. "It was a team effort."

"Why?" Alexis asked.

"Well, that is how we can finish our meeting today," Alessandro said. "_If_ you want your children back.

"What do you want?" Jason asked.

"All Mr. Corinthos has to do is sign a piece of paper," Francesco said. "That shouldn't be too hard for him."

"What would I be signing?" Sonny asked.

Alessandro leaned back in his chair and pressed his fingertips together forming a steeple. "You'd be signing all of your finances, your properties, your coffee business, your entire organization over to our father and Henrik."

Sonny stared at him.

"It's quite simple really," Francesco said. "Unless you'd rather us kill those children of yours instead."

"NO!" Sam shouted. "Do it, Sonny. Just do it!"

A pattering sound drew Alexis' attention to the hallway. A young man in a suit ran in out of breath. "They're gone, sirs."

"What?" Francesco said.

Peter's mouth hung open. "_What_?"

"The children, all gone. And 5 escaped too."

_Bang_!

_Bang_!

_Bang_!

_Bang_!

Alexis jolted. The young woman screamed. Jason had shot all four bodyguards in the head in less than 3 seconds, then wrapped his arm around Francesco's neck, pressing his gun to his temple. "Go find the kids!"

Sonny jabbed his gun against Alessandro's cheek.

Julian grabbed Peter and tackled him to the floor. Sam darted behind the younger man, pointing her gun at his head. "Take me to them."

Alexis glanced back at Julian wrestling Peter on the floor then chased after Sam and the younger man. He led them upstairs to a long hallway. There had to be fifty rooms along there. They past an open door. A vacant stretcher with ripped restraints sat beside medical machines and an IV drip. He took them to the room next to the one with the stretcher. Two twin beds surrounded an open window, a bitter breeze creeping in.

"This was their room," the young man said. "They must have escaped a few hours ago."

"What did you mean by 5 escaped too?" Alexis asked.

Sam's mouth dropped slightly. She stared at the floor and lowered her gun. The young man ran out of the room.

"Sam? What's wrong?"

Sam knelt down and lifted a wallet sized photo from the floor, then walked over to Alexis to show her. It was a picture of a younger Scout sitting on Oscar's lap.

Julian darted in, panting. Sonny and Jason followed.

"Got away," Julian said. "Peter, the twins, that woman. Got away on a helicopter."

GHGHGH

Sam didn't take her eyes off the photo as they made their way back to the launch.

"Excuse me," Alexis spoke to the captain, standing at the edge of the deck. "You didn't happen to have other people leave this island today did you?"

"Yes, I did. A few hours ago," the captain responded.

"Were they young children?" Julian asked.

"Four kids, yeah. They looked in rough shape. And a man was with them. Kind of in a hurry."

"What did the man look like?" Alexis asked.

"Ahhh…" Sam dropped the photo into the snow and pressed her hands to her eyes.

"Sam? Are you having another headache?" Alexis asked.

Sam wobbled a little and extended her arms in front of her. "I—I can't see!" She stepped forward and fell with a splash into the water. Within seconds blood started flowing to the top.

"_Sam_!" Alexis' breathing went rapid.

Jason started to tear off his leather jacket, but Julian beat him to it and dove right into the water.


	36. Chapter 36

Hmm, I'm having trouble writing Sonny. I can't get a feel for his character in this, even though I have a plan for him. Jason too a bit. Whereas Carly, I get a kick out of writing her in this story lol.

**Chapter 36**

As Alexis looked down at the cloud of blood spreading in the water, her heart thudded against her chest. Her ears began to ring, hands went numb. Her vision became disfigured as if looking through a foggy lense and she dropped to her knees. Squeezed her eyes shut. Water surround her, Stavros' hand pushing her down… down… down… Water filling her nose… Down to her lungs… She'd kick up… sucked for sweet tasting air… Helena's laughing pierced her ears… Down… His grip too strong for her… Then two arms pulling her… Air again… "Just leave her alone!" Stephan's voice echoed in her head…

"Alexis…" Sonny's voice rang in her ears. "Alexis, breathe. You're having a panic attack… Slow your breaths."

She inhaled and exhaled rapidly, vision slowly clearing. Julian, lifting Sam, sprang from the water. Jason reached for Sam, blood splattering from her arm, and dragged her onto the deck. Julian heaved himself up.

Alexis crawled to Sam's side, her body still tingly.

"Someone call an ambulance!" Julian shouted and Sonny pulled out his phone.

Julian pressed his fingers to Sam's wrist, then tilted her head back and lifted her chin. He pressed his hands down on her chest and pushed hard and fast. He pinched her nose and gave a breath. She coughed up some water.

"Sam…" Alexis' breathing calmed and feeling came back to her hands.

"An ambulance is meeting us when we reach Port Charles," Sonny said. "We can use the first aid kit on the ferry."

"Her arm hit a rock," Julian said.

"I was afraid it was her head…" Alexis exhaled deeply.

Jason shifted his feet a little.

"How are you feeling, Sam?" Julian asked her.

Sam squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them, shut, and opened again. "I can't see anything!"

"We're getting you to the hospital," Alexis said.

"No… I need to find Danny…"

Julian lifted Sam and they boarded the ferry.

"Here, take these," the captain said, handing blankets and a first aid kit to Julian and Sam.

A ringing sound drew Alexis' attention to Jason, and he pressed his phone to his ear. "Josslyn? What? Oh…" His eyes grew wide. "Elizabeth? Sam too… What? Okay. Okay we will." He hung up.

"What is it?" Sonny asked.

"She said Cameron's condition is worsening rapidly and neither Elizabeth's nor Zander's relatives were a match," Jason said. "They need to start looking outside of the family. Josslyn wants us to get tested and recruit anyone else we can. But there's more…" He looked over at Sam, who's eyes were unfocused. "Elizabeth was also struck blind this morning."

GHGHGH

The paramedics pushed Sam off the elevator and Julian and Alexis followed, just like the night before. Elizabeth, now wearing a hospital down and sitting in a wheelchair, was yelling at Finn. Ric, Hayden, Steven, and Sarah hovering around them. And a grey-haired man and woman standing by awkwardly.

"No, I'm not having surgery right now!" Her eyes were unfocused, cheeks wet from crying.

"The sooner we repair your sight the better," Finn pleaded with her.

"No, I need to focus on finding a donor for my son, and so do you! If I go into surgery, I'll be out for hours. And by that time, he could be… he could be…"

"We'll go make more phone calls, Liz," Sarah said.

Steve squeezed Elizabeth's shoulder. "We'll find a donor." He and Sarah pulled out their phones and moved off to the side.

"Listen, Elizabeth, Lucas is also overseeing Cameron's condition, we have lots of staff today. You also need to focus on getting yourself better," Finn urged.

She shook her head. "I need to be here for Cameron… especially when I can't be there for Jake…" She began sobbing and Hayden wrapped an arm around her.

"Elizabeth, Cameron will be fine," Ric said.

Elizabeth clenched her jaw and her nostrils flared. "Why didn't _you_ say or do anything about Cameron, Ric? Hayden and Violet were out of town… you were with us for three days… Three days… You knew I was out of it… surely you noticed something off about Cam."

Finn hurried over to Sam and flashed a light in her eyes.

"What is going on?" Alexis urged. "The headaches, now this."

"Exactly the same as Elizabeth," Finn said. "Felix!"

Felix walked over. "Yes, Finn?"

"Please take Sam to the OR to prep her for surgery. I need to speak to her parents, then I'll be right there."

Felix pushed Sam away on the stretcher and disappeared down the hallway.

Finn turned back to Julian and Alexis. "We've seen this before. I realized when examining Elizabeth earlier."

"Then you know what's going on?" Julian asked.

"To a point. This happened to Anna and Alex, Ryan and Kevin, Jason and Drew… they all had the HN-242 virus, that Dr. Cabot adapted in a serum to facilitate memory transfer. And Dr. Maddox used his notes to continue his work. This virus causes retinal hemorrhages."

"But those were twin experiments, Sam is not a twin," Alexis said.

"And are you saying that Sam was part of some memory transfer experiment?" Julian asked.

Finn shook his head. "We don't know. It could be something completely different. All we know is there are similar symptoms. Andre will be in tomorrow so we can compare notes. Hopefully we'll know more by then."

"But you can repair her sight?" Alexis asked.

"Yes. I have to head to the OR now. But one of the nurses will let you know when you can see her."

GHGHGH

After Alexis called the PCPD to tell them about their adventure to Kailano Island, the Marchesi brothers, Peter August, and the mysterious man who escaped with the children, she and Julian entered the blood clinic. It would be a long wait for Sam to get out of surgery and they decided to get tested to be a donor for Cameron. Sonny and Jason were sitting as the nurses pressed needles into their arms.

Julian and Alexis sat in the empty chairs across from Sonny and Jason. The nurses bandaged under their elbows, then came over to Julian and Alexis. The needle pricked her, and she looked into Julian's eyes trying to ignore the sharp feeling in her vein. The nurses offered them some juice and left.

Julian reached for Alexis' hand and gave it a soft squeeze.

"How's Sam?" Jason asked.

"She's in surgery," Alexis said. "Finn thinks she has the same virus that caused you and Drew to go blind."

His eyes squinted. "That's strange…"

"Did you hear?" Julian asked. "Elizabeth's blind too."

Jason stared at him.

"So, if they think Carly and I have the same condition," Sonny said. "Then we'll likely lose our sight too."

"But it was a twin experiment," Jason commented. "None of you are twins."

"Finn said it could be something completely different," Alexis explained. "Just that there are similarities."

Jason stared off.

"I called the PCPD," Alexis said. "Told them everything that happened at Kailano Island. Gave them descriptions of the Marchesi brothers and I told them Peter August was there. They're going to investigate the island and they're searching Port Charles for the kids and this mysterious man."

Sonny groaned and slammed his fist on the arm of his chair. "I wish you wouldn't get the damn police involved."

Alexis jolted slightly. "We need to find the kids. That is their job."

"I have men on it." Sonny's nostrils flared. "The cops will only get in the way and make matters worse."

"Sonny, at some point you're going to have to realize that the mob aren't a chosen people and that the police aren't heathens," Alexis shot at him.

Ignoring her, Sonny turned to Jason. "Are you still good to take Sasha to her ultrasound tonight?"

Alexis rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I can do that," Jason said.

Julian gawked at him.

GHGHGH

"That certainly was an eye opener," Julian said after leaving the blood clinic.

"What was?" Alexis asked.

"Jason seriously has no life of his own. He lives and breathes to Sonny and Carly's demands," Julian said. "I admit, I've enjoyed the adrenaline rush these past few weeks when Sam and I have searched for Danny… but I'm never going back to the mob."

Alexis smiled.

He stopped walking and pulled her closer to him. "I'd have too much to lose." He pressed his lips to hers and made his fingers crawl up her back.


	37. Chapter 37

Wow, I had trouble writing this today. I just couldn't seem to get it down and I think it came out rather dry lol. But it's serving its purpose. Also, Alexis is becoming quite the eavesdropper so we can see what's going on with others lol. Enjoy!

**Chapter 37**

"How could she have just gone blind?" Kristina's voice muffled over the phone. "None of what you said makes sense."

"It doesn't to me either," Alexis said with a heavy sigh. "But if she caught this virus somehow, then that's what would have caused her to lose her sight. She's been having headaches for weeks."

"I'll be there in fifteen."

"I was actually going to ask if you'd check in on Scout," Alexis responded. "She doesn't know Bobbie very well and she's been left there all day. Actually… would you mind taking her to my place and possibly spending the night if we're not out of here by then? I think that would be much easier on Scout. Lucas has to work again tonight, so Scout should be with someone she knows and loves. Wiley will be fine with Bobbie, he loves her."

Kristina paused. "Okay, but I'm coming by in the morning to visit Sam, so someone will have to come home. Or I'm calling Molly."

"No, please don't call Molly. After what she's been through, she and TJ need this Niagara Falls trip. We'll tell her about Sam when she gets back. At least one of us will be home. Oh… one more thing. Whatever you do, make sure Scout has her dalmatian before you leave Bobbie's."

Alexis tucked her phone away and Julian was pacing back and forth in the waiting area. "Okay, that's it!" Julian threw his hands in the air. "I'm going to find Finn."

Alexis opened her mouth to argue, but then nodded. "That's actually not a bad idea."

But Finn walked in wearing his scrubs.

"How did it go?" Julian asked as he and Alexis stepped closer to him.

"It went well," Finn said. "I was able to neutralize the virus. When Sam wakes, her sight should be fully returned."

Alexis ran a hand through her hair. "Thank goodness."

"You can go see her, she should be waking soon," Finn continued. "I've scheduled another CT scan this evening so we can keep monitoring her condition. But for the moment she's stable. She's in room 512.

On the way to Sam's room, Julian and Alexis passed an empty nurse's station and only met a few people in their travels. Elizabeth, still in her wheelchair, was talking to Steve, her eyes not focused on him.

"Why can't anyone get a hold of him?" Elizabeth propped her elbow on the arm of the wheelchair and rested her head in her hand.

"I don't know, but the surgery has to happen right now." Steve walked over to the window besides Sam's room and looked inside.

"We finally found a donor match, but he's MIA." Elizabeth shook her head.

"I'll try calling again, but the nurses are trying too." Steve pulled out his phone.

Julian and Alexis made their way into Sam's room. She was already sitting up with her eyes open and bandages on her arm.

"Hey sweetie." Alexis kissed her forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better," Sam said. "Epiphany tried explaining it to me, but it doesn't make sense."

"Do you remember being a part of any experiments or anything?" Julian asked.

"No. In fact I have a pretty good memory," Sam said.

"Well, you did forget about liking chamomile…" Alexis commented.

"But Lex, tastes change," Julian said.

Sam scrunched her face. "I don't know how anyone could like chamomile."

"You and me both," Julian said. "All teas are disgusting if you ask me."

"Well what about salvage diving?" Alexis asked. "You looked at me funny when I mentioned it the other day."

"What about it?" Sam asked, shifting in her bed.

"Do you remember salvage diving?"

Sam laughed. "Don't get me wrong, I enjoy swimming sometimes but I'm not big on the water."

Alexis' eyes grew wide. "_What_?"

"_What_?" Julian repeated. "You love the water and so do your kids!"

Sam's eyes grew wide. "Calm down. Now, we have more important things to discuss than water, like _my son_."

"I told the police everything that happened," Alexis said.

"Including the picture I found?" Sam asked. "Did either of you happen to pick it up after I dropped it?"

Julian shook his head. "Your mother was too busy having a panic attack and I was giving you CP—wait, what picture?"

"It was of Oscar and Scout," Alexis said.

"Oscar and Scout… would it have been Danny's?" Julian asked.

"No," Sam said. "He doesn't have a picture of Oscar."

Julian scratched his chin. "Then who's photo was it?"

Sam locked eyes with Alexis. "It was Drew's."

"And was his name or handwriting on it?" Julian asked.

"No."

"Then how do you know for sure?"

"Well first of all, he's the only one besides maybe Monica or Oscar himself who would carry a picture of Oscar and Scout together, but it's also what that young man said when he ran in telling the Marchesis that the kids were gone. He said 5 escaped too."

Alexis scrunched her face. "Yeah five people, but we don't know for sure that was Drew."

Sam smiled. "Except he didn't mean five people. No… 5 escaped too. He meant _Patient _5."

Julian and Alexis' eyes grew wide and they looked at each other.

"I know that Danny is safe, and he'll be home soon, because he's with Drew," Sam said.

"Okay, Sam." Epiphany walked in. "I need to take you for your CT scan now."

"I want to go with her," Alexis said.

GHGHGH

Epiphany and Felix wheeled Sam's bed down to radiology, Julian and Alexis in tow.

Alexis' phone rang and she pulled it from her pocket. "Hello?"

"Hey, Alexis, it's Chase. I tried calling Sam, but there was no answer."

"She's in the hospital at the moment… is this about Danny?"

"Yes," Chase said. "We received a call this evening from the Ontario Provincial Police. Two boys with Jake and Danny's descriptions were seen walking down Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls, Ontario."

"What?"

"The OPP have issued an Amber Alert in the province."

"Was a man or two little girls with them or were they alone?"

"According to the anonymous report, they're alone."

Alexis sighed. "Okay thank you. Please keep us updated."

When she tucked her phone away, Jason and Sasha stepped out of the doors to the Radiology unit.

Sam swallowed hard and looked in the opposite direction.

"Jason Morgan!" Epiphany set her hands on her hips and glared at him. "We have been trying to get in contact with you for almost an hour!"

"I had my phone turned off," Jason said. "Why are you trying to contact me?"

"You need to get upstairs now and prepare for surgery!"

He raised an eyebrow. "I do?"

"Yes, you have been confirmed a match for Cameron Webber."


	38. Chapter 38

Foxy, the Sam/Scout scene is dedicated to you. I think you'll like it! Thank you for sticking by my story are for all the great discussions you have with me and Chrissyfan! Enjoy!

**Chapter 38**

Alexis leaned against the window looking into Sam's hospital room. Finn was shining a light in her eyes and checking over her chart. Alexis turned. Julian was lying on the bench snoring. Steve wheeled Elizabeth from down the hallway.

"How was Cameron's surgery?" Alexis asked.

"Good," she said. "Finn thinks he's responding well to his new liver."

_Click_. _Click_. _Click_.

Carly's stiletto heels announced her entrance. "Will someone please explain to me why I am just finding out _now_ that Jason was in surgery last night?"

Alexis sighed. "Carly, are you serious?"

"Uh, I was a little detained in the fact that _my son_ was in surgery too!" Elizabeth shot at her, eyes still not focused on who she was talking to. "Not to mention that I have gone blind!"

"I should have been informed. Especially since I was waiting hours for him. He was supposed to pick me up some more Tylenol after the ultrasound. Apparently, Michael had to leave his date to pick up Sasha."

"Oh gee, I'm sorry, for me to take your son away from a date so that your slave can be free to save my son who was on the brink of death, how selfish of me," Elizabeth said.

"Don't waste your breath on her," Steve said.

"It wasn't Elizabeth's responsibility to contact you," Alexis said. "That's up to Jason or even Michael if he knew. And I'm only assuming you're not his next of kin, so the hospital wouldn't have reason to call you."

"Michael told me this morning," Carly said. "I should have been alerted right away so I could be here for him. Why are you even here, Alexis? You could have called me."

"Excuse me?" Alexis laughed. "I'm not related to you or Jason. We're not friends. That's not my responsibility either. If it was one of your children, I'd call you."

"Yeah and thank the heavens we're not friends."

"I'm here because Sam went blind too."

"And I suppose you weren't even going to inform Jason." Carly set her hands on her hips.

"He was there when it happened!" Alexis' voice went high.

"You're determined to keep them apart."

"And you're determined to keep them _together_, whether they want to or not," Julian interrupted and walked over to them stretching his arms.

"Sam and Jason are meant for each other," Carly said.

Julian scrunched his face. "Why? Because you say so?"

The door to Sam's room swung open and Finn stepped out. "Good news. I just told Sam. She's free to go. She shouldn't get anymore headaches, if she does, use the prescription Lucas gave her. But she should be fine."

Alexis smiled.

"How's Jason?" Carly urged. "When can he come home?"

"Oh, he'll be here at least a week," Finn said.

Carly's mouth dropped. "A week?"

"Yeah. And recovery time is approximately 6 to 8 weeks."

"_What_?"

Alexis scrunched her face. "Carly, didn't you used to be in nursing school?"

"I can't believe this is happening." Carly ran her hands through her hair. "I want to see him."

"Okay, he's in the room next to Cameron's," Finn said.

Carly hastened to Jason's room.

Elizabeth groaned.

"Elizabeth," Finn continued. "Now that Cameron is responding well, I really think we should prep you for surgery."

She nodded. "Okay. But I want to see him first."

GHGHGH

When Julian, Alexis, and Sam arrived home, Kristina and Scout were sitting on the couch colouring. Lucas went to Bobbie's to pick up Wiley.

"Sam!" Kristina jumped up and hugged her. "I was so worried about you."

"Hi Cookie." Alexis took Kristina's spot on the couch.

Scout leaned against Alexis but peeked around at Sam.

Alexis looked down at the picture. "What did you draw?"

"Picture for Mommy," Scout said in a small voice.

Sam started to smile a little.

"You did?" Alexis beamed. "That's really nice."

"Aunt Krissy said Mommy sick."

"She was sick, why don't you go give her a hug?" Alexis suggested. "That will make Mommy feel much better."

Scout's eyes went between Alexis and Sam and she chewed her lip.

Sam walked over to her. "How about we sit on the couch together to start and you can show me your picture. Would that be okay?"

Scout slowly nodded but clung to Alexis.

Sam sat on the other side of Scout and lifted the picture. "Wow, this is beautiful. Who's all in the picture?"

Scout pointed to the figures inside the house. "That's Grandma, Grandpa, me, Leo, Wiley, and Uncle Lucas. And that's Aunt Krissy and Aunt Molly visiting us." She pointed to the figure just outside of the house. "That's you." She pointed to a figure near the top of the page. "That's Danny trying to come home to us." She pointed to a car on the other side to the page. "That's Danny's daddy trying to take us away again."

Sam pinched the bridge of her nose, took a deep breath, then turned to Scout. "Would it be okay if Mommy comes inside the house?"

Scout paused for a moment, then looked up at her. "Just you or Danny's daddy too?"

"Just me."

Tears began to fall down Scout's cheeks, but she nodded. She let go of Alexis and clung to Sam. Sam wrapped her arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, baby." Then she mouthed to Alexis, "Thank you".

GHGHGH

Alexis smiled watching Sam and Scout in the backyard building a snowman together. Sam lifted Scout as she placed a toque on top of the snowman's head. Alexis washed a plate and handed it to Julian to dry. Julian bounced his hip off Alexis'. She laughed.

"It's so good to see them bonding again," Alexis said.

"Yeah, I'm a little jealous myself though." Julian sniffled. "Usually the kids like playing with me in the snow."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, she still loves her grandpa. But they both needed this."

Scout dropped in the snow and started making a snow angel, then jumped up and hugged Sam, smiling.

Alexis dropped the j-cloth when her phone began to ring. She dried her hands off and answered. "Hello?"  
"Mom!"

"Molly?"

"Hey, we're on our way home," Molly said.

"I thought you weren't coming home until tomorrow."

"Plans have changed. We were going through Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, when two familiar faces poked their heads out from behind Jack Sparrow."

"Familiar faces?" Alexis scrunched her face, then her eyes grew wide. "Wait… Did you cross the border?"

"Yeah. We found Danny and Jake."

Alexis' mouth dropped open and she smiled. "Are they with you right now?"

"Yep, in the back seat."


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

Sam paced back and forth in the PCPD. Elizabeth ran her hands through her hair as she stood waiting with Hayden. Her eyes were more focused and had apparently recovered as quickly as Sam did. Chase sat at the desk flipping through some papers, and Julian squeezed Alexis' hand. It wasn't too hard leaving Scout. She was thrilled that her big brother would be home soon. She said she, Wiley, and Lucas would make a welcome home sign for him and they'd have a big tea party to celebrate his homecoming.

Sam groaned. "Where are they?"

"Maybe they were held up at the border," Julian suggested.

"I wish they could have brought him right home," Sam said.

"I know." Alexis wrapped an arm around her. "But if we want to catch Peter and the Marchesis, the police need a statement from them. Besides, they might know where Avery and Donna are."

"And Drew," Sam added.

Julian tapped Sam's shoulder and pointed. "Look."

TJ and Molly walked in with Jake and Danny. The boys' hair was unkempt. Their skin and clothes dirty and ripped. Neither wore a coat. A faded bruise circled Danny's right eye and Jake's nose was bruised and swollen.

"Jake…" Tears spilled down Elizabeth's cheeks and she hastened over to him. She cupped his face in her hands then wrapped her arms around him.

"Oh, Danny." Sam ran her hand through Danny's wavy blond hair.

"Mom…" Danny said barely above a whisper.

Sam wrapped her arms around him and kissed the top of his head.

Alexis smiled at them, then hugged Molly. "Thank you for bringing them home."

"Well thank goodness we crossed the border," Molly said. "TJ wanted to check out Clifton Hill."

"Jake, Danny…" Chase said. "Would it be okay if I asked you some questions now?"

They stared at him.

"Maybe this can wait," Julian said.

"No," Danny said. "It's okay Grandpa."

"If it'll help Donna and Avery, then yeah," Jake said, Elizabeth kissing his forehead.

"Well, first of all. Do you guys know where Donna and Avery are?" Chase asked.

"I think so," Danny said, Sam keeping an arm around him.

"We got separated," Jake said.

"Where did you get separated?" Chase asked.

"Here in Port Charles," Jake said. "Uncle Drew helped us escape from that island."

Sam smiled.

"Drew?" Chase wrote that down. "And were Donna and Avery with you when you escaped from the island?"

"Yeah," Danny said.

"But when we got back to Port Charles, a man in a mask knocked Uncle Drew out," Jake continued. "We tried to run with Donna and Avery."

"We hid them behind a dumpster and went looking for help, but then two men grabbed us," Danny said.

"They drove us to Canada and locked us in a motel room," Jake said. "But we escaped. We wanted to find a phone, but we didn't know who to trust."

"So, we hid inside a wax museum," Danny continued. "Then I heard Aunt Molly's voice and we revealed ourselves."

"Do you know where the dumpster is that you hid Donna and Avery?" Chase asked.

"We could see the hospital in the distance," Jake said. "But I don't know what street or what else was around."

"We weren't really paying attention…" Danny frowned.

"It's okay, Danny, you did good," Sam reassured him.

"Now, you boys have some bruises," Chase commented. "When and how did those happen?"

Jake and Danny's faces went tense and they exchanged a look.

"Did the kidnappers do that to you or did it happen while you were running?" Chase asked.

"It just… happened…" Danny shrugged it off. "But I think a doctor should look at Jake, I think his nose is broken."

Elizabeth gently touched Jake's nose.

Chase wrote down the rest of their statement, then headed off to search for Avery and Donna.

Alexis hugged Danny. "I'm glad you're all right."

Julian squeezed his shoulder. "You're a strong kid, Danny."

Danny looked between his mom and grandparents, then said with his hands balled into fists, "One day, I'm going to bring down the mob."

GHGHGH

Danny was quiet the entire ride home. Julian did most of the talking, saying he missed some adventure in his life and enjoyed searching with Sam the past few weeks. When they walked inside, a huge sign saying, _Welcome home, Danny_! greeted them.

Scout darted from the couch and crashed into Danny hugging him. "Danny, Danny, I missed you!"

Annabelle the second ran over to him and tried jumping on his leg, but Danny just stared at her.

"Hey, Danny!" Lucas waved to him from the couch.

Uncle Lucas and Wiley and me planned a tea party for you!" Scout smiled widely and pointed to the coffee table covered in a white tablecloth with six toy teacups and one sippy cup for Wiley sitting on top.

"Thanks," Danny said. "But I'm going to e-mail my teacher." He headed towards the stairs.

"Why are you e-mailing your teacher?" Julian asked.

Danny stopped without turning around. "So I can catch up on what I missed when I was away."

"You'll have plenty of time for that," Alexis said. "After everything you've been through, you deserve a fun night with your family."

"No, I need to catch up on homework!" Danny yelled and finally turned around. "I don't have plenty of time, too much time has already been lost!"

Scout started crying and Lucas hugged her.

"Okay, if Danny wants to do homework, he can do homework," Sam said.

Alexis nodded. "Okay."

Danny's eyes went between them and he scrambled upstairs.


	40. Chapter 40

So, I tried googling how confidentiality works with minors in therapy, from what I'm finding is they have none when it comes to their parents, but I don't know for sure. To me it would make sense for a child Scout's age for the therapist to disclose to a trusted parent, but not so much for a 12-year-old like Danny. But for the case of my story, I'm going to have Lainey disclose to Alexis and Sam so the reader can know more of what happened to Danny and Jake. But if it's wrong, I apologize in advance.

**Chapter 40**

It had been two weeks since Danny came home, and right after he and Jake had given Chase their statements, the police were able to track down Avery and Donna shivering behind a cold dumpster. Danny returned to school the very next day and insisted he didn't need anymore time off. He seemed to be using Alexis' suggested homework schedule from back in the fall and would stick to it religiously, if not more adamantly than Kristina or even Molly ever did. He wouldn't play with Annabelle the second, who would whimper every time he shut his bedroom door to study. Even when Leo came over on weekends, Danny didn't spend time with him either and would go down to the kitchen to continue his studies when Leo turned in for the night.

Scout's progression seemed to backslide due to her brother ignoring her and she would mimic his behaviour by slamming her door shut every time she went to her room. She was at least warming up to Sam again and would sleep with her now instead of Alexis when she had nightmares. A notion that was bittersweet for Alexis, she knew this was how things were supposed to be, it was better for both Sam and Scout, but Alexis missed having Scout cuddled up to her side. She realized Scout was almost, but not quite, filling the void she had for missing Sam's childhood.

Sam's days consisted of sleeping until noon, then she'd get up and do something with Scout, whether it be a tea party or play in the snow, then she'd resort to her room again to continue painting until bedtime when Scout wanted her to read her favourite bedtime story. Though Alexis hated seeing her like this, she was grateful for the small improvements she made with Scout.

Alexis was surprised however when Julian and Sam joined her at the kitchen table at 7 in the morning one day. Alexis lowered her coffee and gawked at seeing Sam up so early.

"Sam and I were talking to Curtis," Julian started. "And I also spoke to Kristina."

"Everything okay?" Alexis asked.

"Yes. So, I'm still going to own Charlie's, but Kristina is going to manage it."

Alexis smiled. "A promotion for her. That's exciting."

"I'm going to check in on things once a week, but Kristina will be in charge. It's just the search for Danny made me realize, I'm not happy standing behind a bar."

Alexis nodded. "I figured."

"So, I'm going to work with Sam and Curtis at their P.I. firm."

"I think that's a wonderful idea!"

Julian grinned. "Really?"

"Well, it's not the mob. It's the legit and still gives you that… adrenaline rush or whatever… then it'll ease some of my anxiety knowing you'll be with Sam."

"Hey! I can handle myself," Sam interrupted.

"And I know that in my head," Alexis said. "But I will always picture that newborn baby girl going out on stakeouts so this will make me feel better about it."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I'm going to start back too. I need to get out of the house more. And our first case, we're going to search for Drew. But just part-time for now… I want to focus on Danny and Scout."

"I've been thinking about going back to work too," Alexis said. "Take back some of my clients from Scott Baldwin, if he'll give them back."

"I'd also like to send Scout to Wiley's daycare part-time," Sam said. "Help get her ready for school."

"That's probably a good idea," Alexis said. "Get her to make some friends. Other than her little crush on Aiden Spencer, all she really has is her brother, uncle, and cousin."

"I also think I should put Danny in therapy," Sam sighed. "He won't talk to me."

Alexis stared at her for several seconds. "I don't think it would hurt his mom to have some therapy too."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Me?"

"You won't talk to your mom either," Alexis said.

Sam stared at her lap.

"I think you should go back to therapy too, Lex," Julian added.

Alexis turned to him.

"Just maybe not Dr. Byrne…" Julian said. "You need someone who's not going to blame you for everything wrong in the world. That just does more harm than good. And someone not interested in you… maybe a female therapist." He winked at her.

GHGHGH

Alexis and Sam only agreed to therapy if the other would go too. Danny hesitantly went with Lainey for his session, while Sam went with Kevin, and Alexis went with, to Julian's approval, a new psychologist by the name of Carrie Dostal.

Dr. Dostal was patient and compassionate with Alexis. She wasn't quick to blame her for things like Neil used to. She let Alexis do most of the talking and she was able to get a lot off her chest.

"I see," Dr. Dostal said. "So, when your daughter fell into the water your anxiety immediately brought you back to when your brother tried to drown you as a child."

"And I'm almost certain Helena, my step-mother, put him up to it," Alexis added.

"Well, I have to give you a lot of credit. You said before that you've been to many of your grandson's swim meets, even with your anxiety around water."

Alexis sighed. "You should have seen me the first time I saw Sam dive off our old boat house. I thought I was going to have a heart attack."

"And you actually used to live right by a lake… impressive."

"Well, my anxiety was bad back then too. When I first found out Sam was my daughter, I had a bit of a breakdown. I bought that house just by taking the virtual tour online."

"You've been harbouring a lot of guilt all these years for giving Sam up for adoption."

Alexis frowned and shifted in her seat. "I feel like I set Sam up to fail in life. But despite all that, she's really built a life for herself. No thanks to me. I feel like I abandoned her. And she had to grow up abused and taught how to be a con."

"Well, let's look at the facts. How old were you when she was born?"

"Sixteen."

"That's only a few years older than your grandson, correct?"

Alexis nodded.

"And do you think a naïve teenager with no support system is capable of supporting herself and a baby?"

Alexis swallowed hard.

"Do you remember when Kristina or Molly were sixteen years old?"

"Of course," Alexis said.

"And if neither of them had you but only had a controlling father like Mikkos Cassadine and had a baby at sixteen, do you think they would have been able to support the baby?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Then I think you gave Sam her best chance considering the circumstances."

"But she ended up with an abusive parent," Alexis said.

"You had no control over that. You did the best you could for Sam in the only way you knew how at the time."

"I guess."

"Our hour is just about up," Dr. Dostal said. "But for homework, I want you to write down every incident you feel guilty about regarding your daughters, but beside them, I want you to counter-argue why there wasn't another option at the time, or what you would do differently next time."

When Alexis left Dr. Dostal's office, Sam was talking to Lainey.

"Danny revealed some pretty deep stuff. He and Jake went through a lot," Lainey said.

Alexis stood next to Sam and listened.

"The kidnappers kept threatening to hurt Avery and Donna, but Jake and Danny protected them. They took a lot of beatings and one of them broke Jake's nose with a screwdriver."

Alexis placed a hand over her mouth and gasped.

"It sounds like Jake took the worst of it," Lainey continued. "But I'm not diminishing what Danny went through. They hit him a lot."

Sam squeezed the bridge of her nose. "What can we do to help him?"

"I'd suggest try to get him doing things he used to love, even if it's small. Right now, he's burying himself in homework and that's an odd comfort for him right now. Don't take that away from him, but even if it's getting him to come downstairs and eat ice cream with Scout for five minutes, then that's an improvement."  
"Why is homework a comfort to him?" Alexis asked.

"He said because he's taking steps towards bringing down the mob," Lainey said. "He wants to be a cop or a lawyer or anything that will destroy the mob. Another thing you can try, is get him to talk to you about his homework. Even better, if one of you can help him with his homework. It'll get him to tear down the wall he's building up and be able to reach him again."


	41. Chapter 41

So, I realize I've been neglecting Julian and Alexis and they're supposed to the couple of the story. I just feel like I'm better at writing family stuff than romance. But since we're in February in the story's timeline I thought I'd write a Valentine's treat.

**Chapter 41**

"Hi Maxie." Alexis smiled and took Maxie's coat. "I'm glad you came. Sam could use a friend."

"Hi Maxie." Sam smiled as she came down the stairs.

"Hey Sam." She hugged her. "I'm so sorry it took me so long to come see you! I wanted to be at your trial back at Christmas, but things have just been a headache!" She flipped her hair out of her eyes. "Spinelli and Georgie came back to town and everything with Peter…"

"You don't have to explain. I understand," Sam reassured.

"But you don't understand everything…" Maxie sighed and placed her hands over a tiny bump on her belly. "I'm pregnant. With Peter's baby."

Sam's mouth dropped slightly. "Really? You're apologizing for not being there for me, I should be the one to say sorry. I should have been there for you."

"Spinelli has been really great he and Georgie are moving back to town permanently," she spoke really fast. "And he insists on protecting me and the baby from Peter, we even kissed at New Years and wants to name the baby Damien if it's a boy and wants to help me out a lot and we should really get the kids together soon, has Scout even met Georgie?"

"I'll leave you girls to catch up," Alexis cut in. "I'll go see what the kids are up to."

Alexis made her way upstairs. When she passed by Scout and Wiley's room, they were rolling a ball back and forth. Scout waved at Alexis then returned to playing with Wiley. She reached Danny's room next. The door was slightly ajar. She peeked inside just as he threw all his textbooks to the floor, kicked his desk, and ran a hand through his messy hair.

"Danny?" She walked in. "What's going on? Are you all right?"

"No," he groaned. "I don't understand algebra at all."

"Well, maybe I can help."

He locked eyes with her and nodded. "Okay."

She helped him tidy up his books and sat with him at the desk. "Okay, so algebra is like a puzzle. For example, x – 2 = 4. Go backwards. 4+2=—"

"6. But that's an easy question. How do you figure out the big stuff?"

"Well if we continue this example, to figure out x, you have to figure out what to remove to get x = something. You remove it by doing the opposite. We want to remove the minus 2. To do that, we need to add two to both sides. So, minus 2 plus 2 is—"

"Zero," Danny said. "That's easy."

"And 4 plus 2 is—"

"Six."

"So, x plus 0= 6. Which means—"

"X=6. But again, that's an easy question. What about X divided by 8=6."

"Go backwards. What's 6 times 8?"

"48," he said without hesitation.

"Then what would X be?"

"48."

"Does it make more sense now?"

"Yeah."

"You've got this Danny. You are very smart and can do anything you set your mind to," Alexis said. "But I think I may have misguided you last fall."

"What do you mean?"

"When I said you need to study and keep up your grades if you want to be a cop or a lawyer, I didn't mean close yourself off from everything else. You still need to have fun and rest too."

Danny stared at his desk. "Thanks Grandma. But I'm not doing this because of you."

"Because you want to bring down the mob?"

He nodded.

"But that's an awful lot of weight for one person's shoulders."

"But I've seen what it's done to Mom, to Scout, to my dad, to… Jake…" He choked up a bit. "And I couldn't stop it."

She wrapped an arm around him. "Oh Danny. It's okay to feel angry and it's even okay if you want to do your part to fight the mob one day. But that doesn't mean you have to put your life on hold to do that. It's okay to do the things you enjoy and most importantly to spend time with the people you love. You know, Grandma Monica keeps asking about you. Do you want to go and visit her?"

He shook his head. "I just… I can't be around people that don't understand right now…"

Alexis pushed away the tears forming at the corner of her eyes with her fingertips. "Then how about we take you to visit Jake. Do you think that would help?"

He nodded.

"Okay, I'll call Elizabeth and arrange it."

GHGHGH

Alexis rolled over the next morning to find Julian's spot in bed empty. She sat up and looked at her phone. February 14th, 2020. She rubbed her eyes. Maybe he forgot.

A set of giggles drew her attention to the doorway. Scout and Wiley stood there in their pajamas. Scout was holding a tiny white box.

"Hey there you two," Alexis said. "Happy Valentines Day."

"Morneen, Gamma," Wiley said, smiling.

They moved over to the bed and Scout handed her the box.

"What's this?" Alexis asked.

They responded with more giggles.

Alexis lifted the lid off and inside was a folded piece of paper. She unfolded it to find Julian's handwriting.

_Roses are red, Violets are blue, go find our daughter to get your next clue._

Alexis chuckled and climbed out of bed. "I see this is from your clever granddad."

She made her way to Sam's room, where she was of course painting again.

Sam looked up at her. "The kids give you your first clue?"

"Yep. And unless we have another daughter I don't know about, you must have the second."

Sam smiled and pulled a red envelope out of her pocket and handed it to Alexis.

Julian's handwriting displayed _Clue #2 _with the 'u' in the shape of a heart. She opened it and read:

_You brought me sunshine when I only saw rain. Go find the doctor to receive your next gain._

"You know, this would be a lot easier if you just told me where he's hiding," Alexis said.

"Hey, I've been sworn to secrecy." Sam zipped her lips shut.

Alexis made her way to Lucas' bedroom and knocked on the door.

"Hey, I was wondering when you'd come." Lucas handed her an envelope. "I'm getting rather hungry, but I was ordered to stay here."

Alexis smiled and opened the envelope:

_Forever in my heart is where you'll be. Go check the bathroom and wear what you see._

Alexis laughed and headed to the bathroom. Hanging next to the shower curtain was a slimming red dress with an envelope tied to it.

_We were both young when I first saw you. Now meet me in the car and we'll relive that night through._

Alexis' eyes grew wide and she felt her cheeks go warm. She quickly changed into the black dress. He must have had Sam's help choosing it because it fit perfectly.

She poked her head into Sam's room. "So, I don't know where your father's taking me—"

"Go! He's waiting for you." Sam jumped to her feet and shooed Alexis away.

"But I don't even know how long we'll be."

"Just go! Lucas and I are fine."

Alexis grabbed her finest coat and boots and went out in the brisk cold air. Julian was leaning against his car in a leather jacket, holding a bouquet of red roses.

"Why, hello." He leaned in and kissed her.

"A leather jacket? Really? When you got me this dress in this cold weather…"

He kissed her again, then parted, lips barely an inch from hers. "Well, I wore a leather jacket our first night, I thought you'd need some reminding on how irresistible you find me." He ran his fingers along her hips.

Alexis gulped. "I—I"

Julian reached behind him and opened the passenger door. "After you."

She climbed in, not taking her eyes off him as he closed her door and made his way to the driver's seat. She squeezed the stems of the roses tightly in her hands, then dropped them to the floor by accident.

"Oh, uh, sorry!" She bent over to pick them up but banged her head against the glove compartment. "Ow…"

"Careful… are you okay?"

"I… uh… yeah…"

"Did you like the clues?" he asked.

She swallowed hard. "Yeah. Where are we going?"

"Well, that depends on your answer."

"Answer to what?"

He pulled a tiny red box from his jacket and opened it revealing a diamond ring.

Alexis gasped.

"Alexis, will you marry me? Again?"

"Julian… I…"

"I talked to Sam, Lucas, Kristina, Molly, even Leo. They all gave their blessing. They agreed with me that our first wedding was our real wedding and is something that can't be repeated. If you agree, I thought we could elope. That way we don't take away from Molly and TJ's wedding next month but make ours legal again."

Alexis threw her arms around him and kissed him. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

He grinned and placed the ring on her finger, then started the ignition. "Then let's go get hitched."


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

The streets of Manhattan seemed busier than usual, if that were possible, with happy couples holding hands and men at the crosswalks handing out heart balloons. The valet at the Plaza Hotel took Julian's keys and went to park the car. After checking in and dropping off their bags (Julian informed Alexis that Sam had packed an overnight bag for her), Julian held Alexis' hand tight as they headed out in the cold air. Alexis quickly regretted not changing, her legs were freezing in her red dress.

They walked across the street to Central Park and Julian led Alexis to a horse and carriage. They took a seat and Alexis shivered. Julian took off his leather jacket and wrapped it over her winter coat.

"Now you'll freeze," Alexis said.

He shifted closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Then you'll just have to warm me up."

Alexis kissed his cheek.

_Clip-clop, clip-clop_. The horse pulled them along the path and brought them to Belvedere Castle. Couples were lined up and they could see the Plaza peeking up behind the snow-covered trees. Julian climbed out first and extended his hand to Alexis. She took his hand and followed him out of the carriage.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Alexis said, shivering and grinning. Her head turned. A boy around Danny's age but with dark hair was looking on from the trees and stood alone. She turned back to Julian.

"I just wish we never divorced in the first place," Julian said. "I was lost without you."

"Well, I think you did a lot of growing when we were apart," Alexis said as they stood in line.

He nodded. "I did. But my motivation was always to try to make things up to you. Well, and I did it for Sam, Lucas, and Leo too."

"I thought your motivation was Kim," Alexis said. She looked back at the trees, but the boy was gone.

He shook his head. "I cared about Kim, but she could never replace you."

Alexis felt her cheeks go warm.

They finally reached the front of the line and walked over to the priest… was he a real priest? Julian and Alexis held hands as he spoke. Two people stood by with the licence and paperwork ready and also served as the witnesses.

"We are here today to share with Julian and Alexis this very significant moment in their lives as they become a married couple," the priest spoke.

Julian and Alexis held hands and gazed into each other's eyes.

"As you look at one another," the priest continued, "I ask you each to affirm your purpose for being here today: Do you, Julian—"

"We actually have our own vows," Julian interrupted.

The priest sighed. "Okay be quick, we have a lot of couples to go through."

Julian cleared his throat and choked up a little. "Lex, from the moment I first saw you, that night in the bar, I knew you were special. I couldn't place what it was, but I knew I wanted to get to know you. I acted like I was just trying to impress my friends, but I felt a connection with you when I looked into your eyes. Then when we met again years later, I saw it again in your eyes, and I still do. I've made a lot of mistakes, I know I've hurt you and our children, and I can't promise that I won't make other mistakes, but I do promise to come to you when there's an outside threat. And I promise to always cherish you and to put you and our family first. Because, you're everything to me. And I don't want to lose you again."

Alexis pushed away her tears with the back of her hand. "Julian, I know what it's like to live with you, and without you. And you bring me joy, laughter, and I think we balance each other out." She laughed a little. "I'm a neurotic mess without you, but you show me how to lay back and just enjoy life. And I think I bring a little more stability to your life. So together, I think we make a great team and support system to our children and grandchildren. I promise to sit back and have a burger once in a blue moon. But most of all, I promise to cherish and love you too. I promise to support you with your new career, and to always come to you too."

"It is my honour," the priest continued. "To pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride!"

Julian cupped Alexis' face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers.

GHGHGH

Julian carried Alexis in his arms and awkwardly opened the door to their hotel room. He carried her in and plopped her down on the bed.

"Thank goodness we're out of the cold," Alexis said. "Maybe we should order some room service. Get some hot…"

Julian started unbuttoning his shirt. "Or we could warm ourselves up an alternative way."

Alexis gulped. They'd been sharing a room for months now, share a child together, and were married once before, but she was still that naïve schoolgirl whose breath he took away.

He tossed his shirt to the floor revealing his hard abs. She leaned against the bed when he dove on top of her and kissed her tenderly. She ran her fingers over his chest, and he began unbuttoning her dress from behind.

"Let's… try…" She swallowed hard.

"To stay married longer than five months?" He finished saying for her, then ran a hand up her thigh, making her body tingle and her eyes grow wide. "Let's grow old together, Lex."

Their fingers intertwined as he kissed the tip of her nose, then her cheek, and held his lips to her neck. They rolled over and she finished removing her dress. She leaned over pressed her lips hard against his.

GHGHGH

Alexis opened her eyes the next morning, her hand was on Julian's bare chest and her head leaning against his shoulder. He was already awake and kissed the top of her head.

"We don't get much alone time," he said.

"I know. But as soon as Sam and Lucas move out… our nest will be empty again. Except on weekends."

"More time for us." He grinned.

She smiled. "I can't argue that."

He lifted her chin and kissed her roughly.

A clattering sound drew their attention to the patio window. The same boy from last night was staring at them. As soon as his eyes met theirs, he ran for it.

"What the…" Julian clambered out of bed and threw his pants on, before running to push the sliding door open.

Alexis grabbed a housecoat and wrapped it around her, then followed Julian to the patio.

The boy yanked his leg over the balcony.

"Wait! Don't jump!" Alexis screamed.

But the boy hurled himself over.

Julian and Alexis darted to the railing. The boy had jumped to the patio beside them and ran inside the room.

"That's the same boy that was watching us last night," Alexis said. "I thought I was imagining it."

Julian hurried through their room and out to the hallway, Alexis trailing behind him. Julian banged on the door next to theirs. They waited several minutes with no answer.

"Look!" Alexis pointed to the elevators where the boy stood. But when he saw them, he darted for the stairs.

"He's gone," Alexis said, taking Julian's arm. "Come on, let's go get some breakfast."

After changing into some clothes, Alexis and Julian made their way downstairs.

"Okay, I gotta ask," Julian said making his way to the desk. "Hi there, we're in room 102. Could you tell us who's staying in room 104?"

"I'm afraid we can't disclose that information," the woman said.

"But a boy from that room was spying on us," Julian said.

"We're just concerned that the boy is alone," Alexis said. "Can you at least tell us if he's staying with an adult?"

The woman nodded and typed something on her keyboard. "There are two adults and three children staying in room 104."

The phone behind her desk began to ring. "Excuse me." She answered it and turned her back.

Julian leaned forward on the desk to peek at the computer. The woman noticed and glared at him before turning the computer away.

Julian took Alexis' hand and led her to the Plaza Food Hall, and they found a seat. Alexis started digging through her purse.

"Lex," Julian said, his eyes moving everywhere in the room. "I think we're being watched."

"Watched? Well that little kid robbed me! My phone and wallet are gone!"

"That wasn't just any little kid," Julian said.

Her eyes grew wide. "You saw the name on the computer, didn't you?"

He nodded. "Alessandro Marchesi and his family are in the suite next to ours."


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43**

Julian reached into his pockets and removed his phone and wallet. He peeked inside his wallet. "Everything's there…"

"Why would he take my things and not yours?" Alexis asked.

"That's a good question."

"And who sends their kid to rob something? Let alone have them jump balconies from a hundred feet off the ground…"

"A Marchesi," Julian whispered. "They want to build up the next generation for their organization. I wonder which grandkid that was… Matteo or Luca… I get them mixed up. I saw them once when they were babies… The twins had their first children around the same time."

"Ms. Davis?" the lady from the desk came over and handed her the cordless phone. "You have a phone call, it's the NYPD."

Alexis raised an eyebrow and took the phone. "Hello? This is Alexis Davis."

"Hello, Ms. Davis, this is the Midtown North Precinct on 54th Street," a woman's muffled voice came through. "I just wanted to inform you we have your cell phone and wallet."

"Okay," Alexis said. "Thank you, I'll be there soon." She hung up and handed the phone back, and the lady left.

"The police have my phone and wallet."

"I wonder if they have the kid too," Julian said.

GHGHGH

When Julian and Alexis arrived at the NYPD, they made their way over to the desk.

"Hi, I'm Alexis Davis. You have my phone and wallet?"

The woman at the desk removed Alexis' license from her wallet to confirm it was her, then handed Alexis her belongings.

"So, did you guys catch the thief or what?" Julian inquired.

But they whipped their heads around when Alessandro, his son, and police officer stepped out of a room.

"I am so sorry, officer," Alessandro said in a calm, sweet voice. "This will not happen again. What's the old saying, boys will be boys?"

His son ran his hands through his short, silky black hair and locked eyes with Alexis.

Alessandro turned and he smirked at Alexis. "Is this the beautiful lady you stole from, son?" He patted his son's back. "Matteo, I want you to apologize to the pretty lady."

Matteo slowly walked towards Alexis, his face sullen. "Sorry."

"I think my son has learned his lesson." Alessandro buttoned up his brown trench coat.

Alexis looked at Julian with wide eyes.

Julian laughed. "Is this some kind of joke, Marchesi?"

"All right, your son is free to go," the officer said. "We better not see him here again."

"This man kidnapped my grandson!" Julian pointed at Alessandro. "You better arrest him right now!"

Alessandro simply smiled.

"Excuse me?" the officer said.

"Surely you knew about the abductions of the Corinthos and Morgan children," Julian said. "The Marchesis along with Peter August AKA Henrik Faison were responsible for it."

"I believe you are mistaken," Alessandro said softly. "I don't know any Marchoovi or Falion. My name is Tony Clarke and I have not kidnapped anyone."

Alexis groaned. "After the trauma you caused our grandson, you're going to stand there and deny it?"

"I'm sorry," the officer said. "But this man's name is Tony Clarke. He has ID and we've pulled him up in the system."

"No, his name is Alessandro Marchesi, son of Salvatore Marchesi the crime lord," Julian insisted.

"Officer Layton, you're needed in the back," the woman at the desk said.

"Good day to you all," Alessandro said, and raised his eyebrows, grinning at Alexis before leaving with Matteo.

"Ugh, we can't let him get away." Julian charged after him, Alexis following.

Julian searched frantically through the streets but stopped when he reached an alleyway.

Alessandro struck Matteo's face with his fist. "_How could you get caught_?"

"I'm sorry, Father," Matteo muttered, tears forming in his eyes.

Alessandro grabbed the collar of Matteo's jacket, holding his fist up again.

"_Leave him alone_!" Julian knocked him to the ground and kicked him.

Matteo stared down at his father with wide eyes.

Alessandro laughed and rose to his feet. "Leave him alone? He's my son. I will discipline him how I see fit."

"He's just a boy," Julian said.

"He's not just a boy. He's the future," Alessandro said, then turned to Alexis, smiling. He walked over to her. "Well, beautiful, if you ever get bored of Mr. Goody Two-Shoes over here, my son added my number to your phone." He slapped Alexis' butt, then squeezed it.

"Don't touch her!" Julian growled.

Alexis' jaw clenched and she kicked Alessandro in the gonads.

Alessandro moaned and grabbed onto his groin area.

Alexis pinched his ear. "Touch me again and I'll sue you for sexual harassment!"

_Hissss_.

A black car pulled up beside them and a tall young man with brown hair hopped out and pushed Julian to the side.

Alexis gasped. She blinked several times, but then said, "Morgan?"

Morgan looked down at Alexis and locked eyes with her before opening the back door. "Get in, boss."

Alessandro and Matteo scrambled into the backseat.

"Morgan… please…" Alexis begged.

Julian rose to his feet.

"Your family… they think you're dead," Alexis said.

Morgan climbed into the front seat and drove off.

GHGHGH

"Okay, what just happened?" Alexis sighed, as Julian drove them home. "Morgan… he's supposed to be dead."

Julian scratched his head.

"And he's working for the Marchesis… when Sonny finds out." Alexis shook her head.

Julian pulled over to the side of the road.

"Why are we stop—"

Julian pressed his index finger to Alexis's lips, then mouthed to her, "Give me your phone."

Alexis scrunched her face, then pulled her iphone from her pocket and handed it to him.

Julian flipped her phone over in his hands and reached towards Alexis' hair and pulled out a bobby pin. He pried open the tray and removed the sim card. Sitting underneath was a tiny microchip. Alexis's eyes grew wide. Julian rolled down his window and hurled it out to the road. He restarted the ignition but kept the car in park.

"Okay, that was creepy as heck…" Alexis said, mouth slightly open.

"What was creepy was Alessandro hitting on you…" Julian grinded his teeth.

"I know." Alexis placed her hand on his knee and squeezed it. "But this was supposed to be a happy time." She smiled. "We're married… again."

He nodded, nostrils flaring. "And I won't let a man like that… or any man for that matter… touch you like that ever again."

Alexis bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. "You were jealous."

"I wasn't jealous… I was… no, I _am _livid."

She placed her hand on his cheek and he pulled it to his mouth and kissed it.

"Let's go home," Alexis said, but then started to blush. "But I hope we can have another night like last night again soon."

He grinned and slowly turned his head. "How soon?"

"Uh…"

"Because I think home can wait…" He leaned forward and sucked on her neck.

She moaned, then ripped off his leather jacket. She slowly unbuttoned his shirt and left a trail of kisses from his chest to his abs. He pushed back his seat and pulled her on top of him.

"I love you, Alexis Davis…"

"Shut up and kiss me," she said.

He cupped her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers.


	44. Chapter 44

Hi everyone, so we're back to the family stuff. I got thinking I should probably clarify the children's ages in this, though I hope it shows in my writing. For the most part I've been sticking to their ages as of October 2019, whether they've actually stated their ages or if I'm just guessing according to appearances and behaviours on the show. I think Jake is the only age I've changed so that he's older than Danny but still younger than Cam. Danny and Scout are just guessed since the actors changed. And I've done what I hate that TPTB do and I'm leaving Aiden at 9, which means Danny and Leo have been aged over him. But the show technically did that, not me, I'm just not fixing it. It works better for things I have planned in the long run to keep Aiden younger, so please don't hate me. Anyway, children's ages are as follows:

Cameron- 16 going on 17

Josslyn- 16 going on 17

Trina- 16 going on 17

Jake- 14 going on 15

Danny- 12 going on 13

Leo- 10 going on 11

Aiden- 9 going on 10

Avery- 5 going on 6

Scout- 3 going on 4

Violet- 3 going on 4

Wiley- 19 months

Donna- 5 months

I'll do my best to keep the range between their ages. The only one I'm considering changing is making Donna closer to Scout's age in a potential third, make her kind of a rival, but I'm not 100% sure on that. Maybe I'll just make Avery her rival (though I do like the idea of Carly's daughter being the bad girl… but we'll see) I plan to bring in a few other kids at Scout's birthday party coming up, like Spencer and Charlotte, but I'll go over their ages then. As for now, the ones listed have been involved the most, even if it's mostly mentions (like Donna). Others like Emma and Noah Drake, I plan to bring in to a third instalment when the kids are older (if I get that far), but most likely won't be in it before then, though I could change my mind lol. Hope this helps clarify things.

**Chapter 44**

When Julian and Alexis arrived home, Sam, Lucas, Leo, Scout, and Wiley were sitting in the living room. Lucas had picked up Leo from school the day before to bring him home for the weekend. Sam was braiding Scout's hair while Wiley was handing Lucas a toy truck and Leo talked up a storm. As soon as they noticed them walk in, Leo and Scout ran over to hug Julian and Alexis, Wiley toddled behind them but tripped. He pulled himself back up and hugged Alexis.

"Hi…" Sam said grinning and her eyebrows did a little dance.

She and Lucas walked over.

"So…" Lucas smiled. "How was New York?"

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Don't pretend you kids don't know." She extended her hand showing her engagement and wedding rings. "We got married."

Sam squealed and hugged Alexis. "I'm so happy for you guys!"

Lucas hugged Julian. "Congratulations!"

"So, are you officially my stepmom, Lexie?" Leo asked.

Alexis stroked his silky hair. "Is that okay with you?"

He nodded excessively and hugged her. "I love you, Lexie."

"Aww, I love you too, Leo."

When Leo, Scout, and Wiley went to bed, Julian, Alexis, Sam, and Lucas sat around the living room.

Alexis smiled. "Sam, I'm glad to see you up and about more."

Sam nodded. "I want to get my life back on track… for Danny and Scout. I guess we're all trying to get back to normalcy. Scout starts preschool on Monday. You and I are going back to work. Dad starts his new job. Krissy starts her new position."

"It'll certainly be a chaotic day," Julian said, but grinned. "I'm looking forward to it."

"So, what was the ceremony like?" Lucas asked. "We want to know all about it."

"Well, it was nothing as glamourous as our first, and not like having our children there," Alexis said, but then smiled at Julian and reached for his hand. "But it was definitely more intimate."

"Yeah and we still don't know if that was a real priest or not," Julian added. "I noticed he had some green stuff stuck in his teeth."

Alexis scrunched her face. "He did? I wasn't paying attention."

"But your mother's right, it definitely was more intimate." He gazed into her eyes and leaned forward and kissed her.

"Eeew!" Sam and Lucas groaned.

"Can you two please keep that in the bedroom?" Sam said, covering her eyes.

"Yeah, stop traumatizing us," Lucas added.

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Can't you two be a little more mature with this like Molly?"

Sam's eyes grew wide.

Alexis scratched her chin. "Okay maybe not quite like Molly."

"So, we made an interesting discovery today," Julian said, looking at Alexis.

Alexis explained about Alessandro's son robbing her, their meeting at the police station, and then in the alleyway. "Then a car pulls up and Morgan Corinthos hops out."

Sam's mouth dropped. "What?"

"_What_?" Lucas' eyes grew wide. "My nephew's alive? Are you sure?"

Alexis nodded. "It was no doubt him."

"Lex tried talking to him," Julian added. "But he took off with them. He's working for the Marchesis."

"We need to tell Sonny and Carly," Alexis said. "Though, I think I'd rather go to Sonny over Carly at the moment. But she does need to know."

Lucas and Sam exchanged a gloomy look.

"What?" Alexis asked.

"Carly came by last night." Sam sighed.

"She's not pressuring you about Jason again is she?" Julian asked.

"Not this time," Sam said.

"No, she was here with Diane," Lucas said. "Alexis, I might need you to represent me. She's suing for custody of Wiley since Michael won't."

"Are you kidding me?" Julian groaned.

Alexis shook her head. "That woman is unbelievable."

"Does she honestly think she can win?" Julian balled his hands into fists, then turned to Alexis. "She can't win, can she?"

"She won't have a strong case unless Michael coincides," Alexis said. "Though she'll try to use Brad's part in the switch against you."

"That was Brad's doing, not Lucas'," Julian said.

"I know, but Carly will try to spin it."

"We won't let her take Wiley from you," Sam said. "You are Wiley's whole world. He belongs with you."

GHGHGH

When Scout heard that Danny was going to visit Jake the next day, she begged to go too so she could play with Aiden. So, on Sunday afternoon, while Julian and Lucas took Leo and Wiley to the park, Alexis and Sam took Danny and Scout over to Elizabeth's house. Scout held her dalmatian under her arm and held a card she made in her free hand.

When they arrived on the porch, Ric was talking to Elizabeth in the doorway. "Cameron progressed so quickly, and I was worried about you. I should have acted faster, I'm sorry. Can we please start over?"

Elizabeth sighed, but then nodded. "Okay, come in."

Ric stepped inside, then Elizabeth noticed Alexis, Sam, and the kids.

She smiled at them. "Hi Danny. Hi Scout. Why don't you come in where it's warmer?"

They piled inside and saw Cameron laying on the couch in his pajamas with a tray of food beside him, Violet sitting at his feet and Aiden on the arm of the couch. Cameron was glaring at Ric.

"Jake!" Elizabeth called up the stairs. "Danny's here."

"Can you send him up?" Jake yelled back.

"Hi Aiden." Scout was blushing and grinning ear to ear.

"Hi," he said back.

"Danny?" Elizabeth gently squeezed his arm, but he flinched back. "I'm sorry… Do you want to go upstairs to see Jake?"

He nodded and darted up the stairs.

"Scout, why don't you give your get-well card to Cameron?" Alexis suggested.

Scout walked over to Cameron and handed him the card. "That's from all of us."

"Thanks, Scout," he said, flipped it over in his hands.

"Scout…" Elizabeth said. "Aiden thought maybe you and Violet could help him bake some cookies. Would you like that?"

Scout nodded.

"Aunt Elithabet, can we uthe lotth of chocolate chipth?" Violet asked.

Elizabeth laughed. "Well, we only have one bag of them, but you can use them all. Aiden, let me know if you need anything."

Aiden nodded, then led Violet and Scout to the kitchen.

Elizabeth smiled watching them. "Violet's started seeing a speech therapist at her daycare."

"Oh? Scout's starting daycare tomorrow," Sam said. "At the Tania Jones Memorial Daycare Centre."

"That's where Violet goes," Elizabeth said.

"Well, at least Scout will know someone there other than Wiley," Alexis said.

"Is Danny having a rough time too?" Elizabeth asked. "Jake'll hardly leave his room."

"Same," Sam said. "He's burying himself in his homework."

"And Jake's burying himself in his art," Elizabeth said. "He revealed a lot in therapy though."

"Same with Danny," Sam said.

"What if I take Jake to the movies or to an arcade, give him some male bonding time?" Ric suggested. "That might help some."

Cameron clenched his jaw. "You'd like that wouldn't you? Slither your way into Jake's life when he's most vulnerable, just like Franco, all to impress our mom?"

Elizabeth gasped. "Cameron!"

"And I'm sure Aiden's next on your list," Cameron continued. "He'll be the easiest. Just bake a cake with him or take him ice skating and you'll be the new Franco in his life. He'll think you've hung the moon."

"Cameron, that's enough. We have company," Elizabeth said.

Alexis' eyes went to the kitchen, Scout, Aiden, and Violet, all wearing aprons, had stopped what they were doing at the table and watched with wide eyes.

"I don't care who hears it. In fact, the more witnesses the better. Alexis, you used to be married to Ric, right? I'm assuming the ending of your marriage was all his fault."

Alexis felt the colour drain from her cheeks. She turned to Sam who was staring at the floor.

"Cameron, I care about you and your brothers," Ric said. "I just want to help."

"No, you just want to get into my mom's pants," Cameron shot at him.

"Cameron, stop!" Elizabeth raised her voice. "That is enough!"

"Why don't I come back tomorrow?" Ric offered. "Cam is still recovering from surgery, I don't want to upset him anymore."

Elizabeth nodded. "That's a good idea. I'll talk to Jake, see if he wants to spend time with you."

Ric kissed her cheek and left.

Scout, Aiden, and Violet went back to their baking.

Cameron turned his attention to his phone.

Elizabeth sighed.

Alexis cleared her throat. "I'm really worried about Danny. The only person he seems open to spending time with is Jake. He says no one else understands. If at all possible, I think we should get them together more often."

Sam and Elizabeth exchanged an awkward look, but then both nodded.

"Whatever's going to help Danny," Sam agreed.

"And Jake likewise," Elizabeth said. "Danny could come over Thursday after school. I have the day off."

"And Scout's birthday is coming up on the 28th," Sam said. "We're celebrating it on the Saturday though… the 29th… 2 o'clock at Chuck E. Cheese. You should bring the boys. Danny would like that. Violet's welcome to come too."


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**

Lucas had left the house before everyone else woke for his early morning shift. Julian, Alexis, and Sam scrambled to get themselves as well as Leo, Scout, and Wiley ready. The only calm one, but quiet and withdrawn, was Danny who took two seconds to get dressed and into the kitchen with his red and black backpack.

Scout swung her legs back and forth as she sat next to Danny, clinging onto her dalmatian and her Anna and Elsa backpack that she picked out herself.

After changing Wiley's bum and dressing him for daycare, Alexis quickly replenished Annabelle the Second's water and food dishes. The dog took a few bites of her kibble, then sat down watching everyone.

Sam poured orange juice for all the kids and milk for Wiley, while Julian brewed three cups of coffee.

"Are you excited for your first day, Scout?" Julian asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

Scout nodded. "I'm a big girl now."

Sam kissed the top of her head. "You certainly are."

They all grabbed their coats, backpacks, purses, keys, and piled into the car. The first stop was the Tania Jones Memorial Daycare Centre. Julian stayed in the car with Danny and Leo. Alexis carried Wiley inside, and Sam held Scout's hand.

They passed the infant room, where an educator offered some bagel to a baby in a highchair and six other infants were walking and crawling on the carpet next to two other educators. They stopped at the end of the hallway at one of the toddler rooms. Seven toddlers sat around a table eating their morning snack, two of them wandering the room knocking things off the shelves. Wiley smiled at the educator and said, "Hi."

"Good morning, Wiley." The young lady smiled at him. "Are you ready for a fun day?"

Wiley's smile started to fade, and he buried his face into Alexis' shoulder.

Alexis smiled at Sam. "He does this at every drop-off and is fine once we leave." She sat Wiley down at his cubby and removed his coat and hung it up. "Wiley, you're going to have a fun day and Daddy will pick you up after naptime."

Wiley flung himself on the floor and began kicking and screaming.

"Have a good day," Alexis said. "We love you."

She took Sam's hand and led them out of the room, closing the gate behind them. Wiley's screams immediately stopped. Alexis peeked back and he walked over to the table grabbing a piece of a little girl's bagel and eating it himself.

Alexis, Sam, and Scout went across the hallway to the preschool room. Three children sat around the table eating morning snack, two were trying on dress-up clothes in front of a mirror, four sat on the carpet building ramps for the cars using long wooden blocks, Violet was sitting by herself reading a book, and two boys were wrestling on the floor. One of the educators went over to the boys fighting and the other came over and knelt in front of Scout.

"Good morning, you must be Scout. My name is Brittany."

Scout stepped partly behind Sam.

"Would you like to play or would you like some bagel?" Brittany asked.

"Scout's had breakfast," Alexis said. "Cookie, do you want to go read with Violet?"

Scout burst into tears and clung to Sam's leg.

Sam hugged her and rubbed her back. "Aww Scout, it's okay."

"I know this is all very overwhelming to you, Cookie," Alexis said, kneeling next to Sam and Scout. "But Wiley's right across the hall and you know Violet. And I think Miss Brittany seems very nice. Plus, you have Dotty." She pointed to the dalmatian. "And Uncle Lucas is picking you up right after sleep time. Look, there's lots of puzzles over there. You love puzzles."

Brittany extended her hand to Scout. "Come on, sweets. We can do a puzzle together."

"How about Grandma and Mommy start the puzzle with you, then you can finish it with Brittany?" Alexis asked.

Scout nodded and they sat at a table with her starting the puppy puzzle. After sitting for a couple of minutes, Alexis and Sam kissed Scout's head.

"Have a good day, Cookie," Alexis said.

"Bye sweetie, I love you," Sam said.

As they headed to the door, Scout started crying again and Brittany hugged her. "Mommy! Grandma! Mommy! Grandma! Mommyyyyy."

Sam kept turning back, but Alexis ushered her out the door. Sam covered her face with her hands and started to cry. "Maybe it was too soon."

Alexis rubbed her back. "The first drop off is always the hardest."

"But it was different with Danny. Scout has been through a lot of trauma."

"She's going to be fine." Alexis tucked some of Sam's hair behind her ear. "It'll be good for her. She's going to make some friends and learn lots."

GHGHGH

When Alexis, Sam, and Danny had therapy that evening, Alexis showed Dr. Dostal her list of things she didn't have another option for regarding her children and also things she could have done differently. The therapist seemed happy with Alexis' homework. Afterwards, Alexis and Sam thought it would be nice to take Danny to Kelly's for some ice cream. Danny was hesitant but agreed. He still didn't say much on the ride there, but when they arrived Ric, Elizabeth, and Jake were sitting at a table.

"Can I sit with Jake?" Danny asked.

"Don't you want to spend time with us, Danny?" Alexis asked.

He shook his head.

"If you want to sit with Jake, it's okay." Sam nodded. "We'll be right here."

"And Danny," Alexis said. "Order anything you'd like."

Danny moved over to Elizabeth's table and spoke to Jake. Within seconds they moved to a separate table.

Alexis and Sam took a seat and ordered a chocolate sundae to share. Alexis told Trina to add whatever Danny orders to her bill.

"So… now you don't have to tell me details," Alexis said. "But in general, how is therapy going for you? Do you find it's helping?"

Sam nodded. "I never realized until now how much I've needed it."

Alexis smiled slightly. Trina served them their sundae and walked away. Alexis looked over at Danny and Jake who were smiling a little and eating their ice cream.

"But Kevin…" Sam lowered her voice and stared at her lap. "He thinks I need to confide in you more… and he thinks I should be the one to approach Molly."

"And do you agree with him?" Alexis scooped some ice cream into her mouth.

Sam's eyes started to well up. "I miss Molly. I miss her coming to me for advice. I miss how she makes me laugh. I miss her wisdom. I miss just hanging out with her. I want my little sister back. I've tried so hard to forget what happened with…" She looked out of the corner of her eye at Ric and cringed. "I never even thought how this would all affect Molly. I don't even know how to approach her. What I did almost ruined any chance of a relationship with you."

"Hey…" Alexis reached for her hand and squeezed it. "You look at me."

Sam lifted her head and locked eyes with Alexis.

"I did a lot of hurtful things back then too. But I won't ever regret forgiving you and building a relationship with you."

Sam swallowed hard and tears fell down her cheeks.

"As for Molly, she misses you too. Her wedding is next month, and she keep putting the planning on hold."

Sam's eyes grew wide. "Molly? Putting wedding plans on hold?"

"I know. But I think it's because she wants you to be a part of it."

Sam swallowed hard. "You know wedding plans always overwhelmed me… but I want to be a part of it too."

Alexis cleared her throat. "Now, do you agree with Kevin that you should confide in me more?"

Sam's face paled and she started to open her mouth when the door opened, and Jason walked in pushing a stroller. Donna was sleeping in it. He locked eyes with Sam, then looked over at Ric and Elizabeth. His nostrils flared a little, then he pushed the stroller over to Jake and Danny's table. The small smiles on the boys' faces turned downward.

"Are you okay?" Alexis asked Sam.

Sam nodded. "I have to get used to running into him sometimes."

Alexis turned when Danny appeared at the table with tears in his eyes.

"Can you please take me home?" he asked in a high voice, with a slight whine to it. "Please take me home, I just want to go home."

"Yeah, yeah." Alexis grabbed her coat.

"It's okay…" Sam hugged him. "We can go home."


	46. Chapter 46

I still cannot get a feel for Sonny's character in this… I feel awkward writing him lol. Anyway, enjoy!

**Chapter 46**

When Alexis, Sam, and Danny arrived home, Julian and Lucas were sitting on the couch. Danny darted for the stairs.

"Danny?" Sam called after him. "Can we please talk?"

But Danny disappeared up the stairs. Sam sighed, then followed after him.

Alexis sat in a chair with a huff.

"What happened?" Julian asked.

"We thought it would be nice to stop at Kelly's," Alexis said. "Get Danny some ice cream. Get him doing something normal. Jake was there with Ric and Elizabeth. Danny wanted to sit with Jake, which turned out fine. The boys were actually smiling a little. But then Jason showed up with Sonny and Carly's baby—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Lucas cut in. "Jason had major surgery a mere few weeks ago… he should be resting."

"That's what I thought," Alexis said. "Anyway, he went over to Danny and Jake. Next thing we know, Danny is at our table on the verge of crying and begging to go home."

Julian scrunched his face. "Do you think he's afraid of Jason too now?"

Alexis shrugged. "Unless it just triggered memories of the kidnapping and the bombing on Christmas Eve. And it probably didn't help seeing Jason spending time with another child when he apparently doesn't have time for Danny and Jake. He wouldn't say a word on the way home. Hopefully Sam can get him to talk to her." Alexis sighed, then changed the subject. "So, Sam said you enjoyed your first day."

Julian grinned. "I sure did. Our big focus right now is searching for Drew and finding more info on the Marchesis. But we also have a client trying to find her birth mother."

Alexis' eyes grew wide. "Sounds like you'll be kept busy."

"Yep. We have a confidentiality thing though, so I can't say who this young woman is."

Lucas scratched his chin. "Sounds to me like you're hinting that we know her."

"My lips are sealed." He turned to Alexis. "How was your first day back?"

"Good," Alexis said. "I just have three clients for now, one of them being Lucas. I spent most of the day building a case against Car—oh my goodness. We forgot to tell her and Sonny about Morgan."

Lucas sighed.

"Can't we just pretend we didn't see him?" Julian suggested. "It would be good karma for Carly right now."

Alexis shook her head. "No, despite everything, she needs to know. Besides, I'm not keeping something this big from Kristina. She adored her brother."

Lucas nodded. "I agree. And we don't want to sink to Carly's level."

Alexis rose to her feet. "I better go get it over with."

"Well, I'm going with you," Julian said. "To make sure Carly doesn't give you a hard time."

"I'm honestly hoping she won't be there," Alexis said, grabbing her coat.

GHGHGH

Alexis locked eyes with Julian before knocking on the door of Greystone Manor. A few minutes later, the door opened, and Jason was standing there. Seeing him up close compared to at Kelly's, Alexis could see he was pale.

Alexis cleared her throat. "Is Sonny here?"

"He's in the living room with Carly and Donna," Jason said. "We're just eating dinner. Is Danny okay?"

Julian set his hands on his hips. "No. He's not. But he will be. With no thanks to you." He stepped closer to him, but Alexis held him back.

"Let's focus on why we're here," Alexis said.

Julian groaned.

Jason led them into the living room where Sonny and Carly sat on the couch laughing and eating burgers, presumably from Kelly's, with Donna in the stroller beside them.

Carly slammed her burger on the coffee table when she noticed them. "What hell are you doing here? If I'm not welcome in your home than you're not welcome in mine!"

Alexis closed her eyes. "Carly—"

"I've had enough of you trying to take other people's children and controlling everyone around you," Carly said.

Julian scrunched his face. "Really? Because that sounds exactly like what you're doing."

"Wiley will be with his family and Danny and Scout will be with Jason, if it's the last thing I do."

"Carly, we have something important—" Alexis started.

"You may have won Sam over, but the children are innocent."

"Carly, please, just listen—"

"Kristina didn't turn into your mini-me and neither will Danny, Scout, or Wi—"

"_CARLY, MORGAN IS ALIVE_!" Alexis shouted a little louder than intended.

Carly's face went completely still, and she locked eyes with Alexis. Sonny dropped his burger.

"We saw him in New York City on the weekend," Julian said.

Sonny turned to Jason.

"Whereabouts?" Jason asked.

"A couple blocks from Downtown North Precinct," Alexis said. "I tried talking to him… but he… he took off."

"Yeah, with Alessandro Marchesi," Julian added. "He's working for him."

"There it is." Carly clenched her jaw. "You have a lot of nerve making up sick lies about my son, all because I'm going for custody of Wiley."

Alexis' mouth dropped. "I would never make this up about Morgan. I cared about him very much."

"And he just happens to be working for the enemy?" Carly laughed, then she glared at Alexis. "You tell me not to say things about Sam, but this is a new low, even for you."

"Carly, I think we should look into this," Sonny said. "Jason, we'll start tomorrow."

Jason nodded. "I believe them."


	47. Chapter 47

Okay so Rocco is 8 going on 9, Charlotte 10, Georgie 11 going on 12 (since she's supposed to be a year younger than Danny) and Spencer was a tough one, I've decided 15 going on 16 (between Cam and Jake, since he used to hang out with Cam, Joss, and Emma but looked a little younger than them, but I'm picturing Nicolas Bechtel, just slightly older lol). And oh my goodness, Spencer was fun to write. Valentin too. Now I want to bring in the Cassadines more lol.

**Chapter 47**

Scout wore a pink dress with a white flower pattern on it with white tights and shiny black flats as she held Monica's hand and swung it back and forth. She led her over to the small pile of presents to show her at Chuck E. Cheese. At the next table, Alexis and Sam were organizing the food and cupcakes. Leo was chasing Wiley around, and Julian and Lucas were sitting down with Danny who was looking rather gloomy. Disney music played in the background.

"Scout, I can't believe you are _four_ years old now," Monica said. "You're practically a lady."

"My friends are coming, Grandma Monica," Scout said, beaming. "Aiden and Violet and Rocco and Georgie and lots and lots and lots of people. They all really like me."

"Of course, they do. Everyone loves you." Monica smiled.

"And Mommy said my cousins are coming too."

"That's right. Michael and Jake and Charlotte and Spencer and Avery."

"And they like me too, right?"

"Yes, they do."

"Okay, I think we're all set," Sam said. "Everyone should be arriving soon."

Kristina and Molly arrived with Chase and TJ, carrying about eight gift bags with Disney princesses on them. They brought them over to the table.

"There's the birthday girl!" Molly hugged Scout.

"Happy birthday, Scout!" Kristina smiled.

"I'm four!" Scout held up four fingers.

"You sure are, Cookie," Alexis said, hugging Kristina and Molly.

Sam wrapped her arm around Scout and smiled a little at Molly. "Thank you for coming."

Molly had an awkward look on her face but nodded. "Scout, you look so pretty today."

Scout smiled and curtsied.

Alexis looked over at Danny who was staring off in space as Julian and Lucas were talking. She turned to Chase. "Chase? Could you do me a favour?"

"Sure, what's that?"

"Could you go over and sit with Danny? Maybe talk to him a bit about your job? I think he'd like that."

He nodded. "Yeah, I can do that."

"I'll join you in a few," Kristina said.

Chase headed over to Danny.

"Aunt Alexis, it's been too long."

Alexis whipped her head around to find Spencer, who was almost as tall as she was now, holding a pink gift bag, standing in front of her, then she hugged him. "Spencer, how are you, sweetie?"

"Good. I'm officially living with Grandmother again, though I'm still trying to regain possession of my home." He readjusted his thick black glasses. "I've begun attending public school for the first time in my life… Grandmother's idea, not mine… but I assented to it when I was informed of Josslyn attending there."

"Spencer, a little word of advice…" Alexis said. "Stay with your grandmother and forget about Wyndemere."

"But it's my birthright. It's my home."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Did your grandmother bring you?"

"No, Aunt Lulu did." He turned his head towards Lulu, Rocco, and… Dante?... who were taking off their coats. "Charlotte's coming with Nina and that vile excuse of a father of hers."

"Dante's back?"

"Yes. He received treatment for his…" He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Difficulties… But I'm keeping a watchful eye on him." He walked over to Scout and Sam who were standing with Monica and handed Scout the gift bag. "Emily Scout, happy birthday."

Rocco ran over to Leo and Wiley, and Dante and Lulu took a seat at one of the tables. Ava walked in with Avery, and they went over to Julian and Lucas. Next to arrive was Michael and Willow, who went over to Wiley, Leo, and Rocco. Alexis' eyes went to Danny who was saying something to Chase and seemed more at ease. Kristina, Molly, and TJ were sitting with them.

Dread encompassed Alexis when Valentin and Nina walked in with Charlotte. When she invited Charlotte, she was hoping Lulu would bring her. Sure enough, they came right over to her.

"Natasha," Valentin said with a smile. "It has been too long."

Ignoring him, she knelt a little to Charlotte. "Hi there, Charlotte. How are you?"

"Good." She turned to Valentin. "Papa, can I go sit with Mom and Dante?"

"Certainly, Ma Petite."

Charlotte skipped off to join Lulu and Dante.

Alexis forced a smile then started to walk away.

"Really?" Nina spoke up. "You're not going to speak to your brother?"

Alexis stopped and sighed. She cleared her throat. "Charlotte is a sweet little girl, I guess you're doing something right."

"Ah, yes. Charlotte is the apple of my eye." Valentin beamed.

"And mine," Nina said, fiddling with half a heart locket hanging from her neck.

"We should speak to the birthday girl," Valentin said. "I don't believe I've met her."

Alexis groaned as they headed over to Sam, Scout, Monica, and Spencer. Spencer did not look pleased.

Elizabeth walked in with Jake, Aiden, and Violet next. Jake's gaze was lowered to the ground as he walked.

"Hello," Alexis said, smiling.

"Hi," Elizabeth said.

Violet grinned from ear to ear in her yellow dress as she held a purple gift bag. "Ith Thcout here?"

"She certainly is. She's the birthday girl," Alexis said.

"She's been talking about Scout all the time the last couple of weeks," Elizabeth said.

"She'th my betht fwend," Violet said.

_Smash_.

Alexis turned and a plate was shattered on the floor next to Nina. But she turned her attention back to Jake who was crouched over shaking and had his hands pressed against his ears.

"Jake?" Elizabeth rubbed his back. "Jake, buddy, it's okay."

Alexis turned once more and saw Danny with his head down on the table. Kristina was rubbing his back.

"Goddess Mother, how wonderful to see you." Spinelli arrived at Alexis' side with Maxie, Georgie, and James. "How are you?"

GHGHGH

Jake and Danny finally calmed down and sat together while everyone ate pizza. After playing some games, Scout wanted to do presents before dessert. No one argued with her. Violet helped her open them and she was spoiled rotten with new dresses, clothes for daycare, new dolls, colouring books, puzzles, a small trampoline from Grandma and Grandpa, a doll house from Mom, and four tickets to see the Lion King on Broadway from Grandma Monica.

"I thought I could take you, Danny, and Jake. It'll be a fun outing," Monica said.

Everyone gathered around the tables once more to eat cupcakes. Alexis sat between Julian and Lucas across from Michael, Wiley, and Willow. She smiled down the table at Scout sitting between Danny and Sam getting icing around her mouth. Jake was on the other side of Danny with Elizabeth, Aiden, and Violet across from them. Violet set her cupcake down and climbed onto Elizabeth's lap, nestling up against her.

Michael cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about my mom, Lucas. I don't know what's gotten into her. I think she's having a bit of a breakdown or something. I think what we've agreed on is best for Wiley."

Lucas nodded. "So do I. I'm not giving him up without a fight."

Willow lifted a heart-shaped locket from under her shirt and seemed almost in a trance. Alexis squinted her eyes.

"Just shut-up, Spencer," Charlotte said, walking by with her cousin.

"Wyndemere is my birth right, not yours. It belonged to Father and it is my inheritance."

Alexis sighed.

"If it belonged to your father than why is he hiding out being my bodyguard while looking for a painting and not claiming it?" Charlotte's eyes grew wide when she said that.

"What?" Spencer said.

"_What_?" Alexis twisted around in her chair. "Nikolas is alive?"

"I wasn't supposed to say anything," Charlotte said.

"Do you know where he is?" Alexis asked.

Charlotte swallowed hard. "At home. Sometimes. But sometimes not. Am I in trouble?"

Alexis touched her cheek. "No, sweetie. But your cousin will be."


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48**

"She's lying." Spencer crossed his arms. "If Father were alive, he'd come to me and Grandmother."

"Spencer, I will look into this," Alexis said. "What painting is he looking for?"

"A portrait of Grandmother I believe," Charlotte said.

"_Grandmother_?" Spencer scrunched his face. "Of all the half-witted ideas… Why would he want a portrait of her when he can come see her?"

"Charlotte, you don't mean your Grandma Laura, do you?" Alexis asked.

Charlotte shook her head.

"Do you mean Helena?"

She nodded.

"Do you know _why_ he wants her portrait?"

"Well, it's not the portrait," Charlotte said. "It's what's hidden in the portrait."

"And what is that?" Alexis asked.

Charlotte shrugged. "I don't know."

Alexis smiled slightly. "It's okay. Thank you for telling me."

"You don't actually believe her, do you?" Spencer cut in. "She's just trying to finagle my birth right."

Alexis sighed. "Don't worry about this, Spencer."

She turned back to her cupcake when Willow made to stand up and bumped right into Nina.

"Would you watch where you're going, Miss Tait?" Nina said through gritted teeth.

Willow sighed. "I didn't see you there."

"That's all you have to say?" Nina shook her head. "Your passive aggressiveness is aggravating."

Willow rolled her eyes.

"Nina, that is uncalled for," Michael spoke up, bouncing Wiley on his lap.

"Miss Tait!" Charlotte ran over to her and hugged her.

Willow smiled. "How are you, Charlotte?"

"Good."

Alexis turned to Julian and squeezed his bicep. "I'm going to the bathroom."

"Don't be too long," Julian said.

Leo and Rocco darted in front of her, Scout and Violet running after them. TJ was off to the side talking to Chase and Kristina, while Sam was talking to Spinelli and Maxie. She walked into the women's washroom and heard a toilet flushing. Molly walked out of a stall.

"Oh, hey Mom," Molly said.

"Hey Mol, are you enjoying the party?" Alexis asked.

She nodded slightly moving to the sink. "It's good to see Scout so happy. I may be biased, but she's the cutest little girl ever."

Alexis smiled and started to push a stall door. "She's pretty darn cute." She stepped inside the stall and closed the door. She heard the water run from the tap and the sound of the door opening.

The water stopped running and there was a big pause until she heard Sam's voice. "Hey."

Another pause.

"Molly, wait…" Sam said. "I've… I've been wanting to talk to you. I just didn't know how… This is rotten timing, but it has to happen… I really miss you."

"Sam… I…" Molly paused again.

"What I did back then…" Alexis could hear her starting to cry. "With your dad… I wasn't even thinking about you or Kristina. I was mad at Mom. Not for trying to break me and Jason up… I mean that was part of it, but it wasn't the real reason. I was just channeling my anger through that… I was mad at her for giving me away."

Tears started to stream down Alexis' cheeks and the pit of her stomach went hollow.

"And I was angry that she was there for me then but not growing up when I needed her most. She had this perfect little family that I didn't think I could ever fit in with. But yet she was trying to keep me from my family… Jason. So, I started plotting to seduce your dad." She choked up. "But I changed my mind. I wasn't going to go through with it. Because you, Kristina, and Mom were the family I always wanted. But I was still so angry. And Mom and I got into another fight. She called me pathetic and degraded. Then she left. I was a disappointment to her. So, I started drinking. Ric was there and drank too. We got wasted. And you know what happened next… As soon as I woke up, I regretted it. I hurt Jason, I hurt Mom, I hurt you and Krissy. I hurt myself. I thought Mom would never forgive me and I never wanted to relive those months again. She was so angry at me and I don't blame her. After she did forgive me, we only mentioned it again a couple of times. It was like we came to a silent agreement not to tell you and Krissy. I didn't want you to think of me that way, because you and Kristina are the best sisters I could ever ask for. But what you said at the courthouse is right… I'm not perfect. Both me and Mom are human. But what I did… I did so many things that hurt all of you and I'm sorry."

Alexis ripped off a piece of toilet paper and wiped her wet eyes.

"I forgive you, Sam," Molly said in a brittle voice. "I miss you too and I don't want this in the way anymore. It really hurt and it was wrong… but I understand why you did it. You're my sister and I love you."

"I love you too."

Alexis opened the door of the stall. Sam and Molly were hugging. Sam's eyes grew wide when she saw Alexis.

"I… I didn't know you were there…" Sam said. "I didn't want you to hear all that…"

"I'm glad I did." She wrapped her arms around both of them. "Now let's get out there and celebrate the littlest Davis Girl's birthday."

They wiped away their tears and walked back out to the party. Scout was kneeling on Julian's lap as she, Violet, and Avery placed ribbons and bows on his head, giggling.

"Ava, you've got to give me that portrait," Nina said, drawing Alexis' attention. "This is the only way to get back at Valentin and Nikolas."

Alexis exchanged glances with Sam and Molly.

"If you want my help, you're going to have to enlighten me," Ava said. "Why do Jax and Valentin and Nikolas want this portrait of Helena? And is Laura next, I mean maybe she's pretending to be my friend. Nikolas is her son after all."

"No, no." Nina shook her head. "I'm sure that Laura doesn't know that Nikolas is alive and if Laura is looking for that portrait, it's for Spencer's sake.

"Well, you have yet to tell me. Why is it that _you _want the portrait?" Ava asked.

"I don't care about that portrait… I'm after the codicil that Helena must have hidden inside."

"Well, finally we're getting somewhere," Ava said. "What codicil?"

"Mikkos Cassadine, Valentin's father, left a codicil to his will. And it's supposed to disinherit Valentin and leave everything to Spencer and to Nikolas and it's supposed to be hidden in Helena's portrait." Nina lowered her voice. "And if we have the portrait, we have a lot of leverage."

Alexis' mouth dropped slightly.

"Mommy!" Scout ran over to them and crashed into Sam's arms. Sam scooped her up. "Grandpa's silly."

Sam laughed. "He sure is."

Alexis smiled and rubbed Scout's back. "Are you having a fun time, Cookie?"

"Uh-huh. Everyone likes me lots."

"We sure do, Scout," Molly said. "This is your special day."

"Mommy?" Scout asked.

"Yes, sweetie?" Sam responded.

"I wanna give my special sponges to Simba and Nala."

"You mean the ones with your bath time toys?" Alexis laughed.

She nodded. "When we see them with Grandma Monica I wanna give them a gift."

Sam chuckled. "Okay. Happy birthday, baby girl." She kissed her cheek.


	49. Chapter 49

I've been trying to figure out TJ's second groomsmen, since the only person they've hung out with in recent years that I recall was Kiki, so I decided on Lucas. TJ'd know him from work and he's Molly's stepbrother, and it'll be cute for him to walk Sam down the aisle, so yeah lol.

**Chapter 49**

Alexis stood in front of her dresser and wrapped her mother's silver watch around her wrist. She never wanted her children nor her grandchildren to experience trauma the way she did. Though the silver lining is that Danny and Scout would never know Helena.

"Mom?" Sam's voice appeared before she did and joined her at the dresser. "Dad and Lucas took Leo and Wiley to the park. Danny's in his room. Krissy and Molly are here, and Scout's getting anxious to look at dresses."

Alexis nodded. "Sorry, I was just lost in thought."

"Are you thinking about Nina and Ava's conversation yesterday?"

"Something like that," Alexis said. "I'm taking the day off tomorrow. I need to go to Wyndemere."

"To find out if Nikolas is really alive?"

She nodded. "And when I find him, I'm going to smack him. Not revealing himself to us… especially to Laura and Spencer, all over an inheritance. Honestly, I'd like to find that codicil myself so I can burn it."

Sam stared at her intensely, then looked at the watch.

"Nikolas is better than this. I wish we weren't tied to the Cassadine name."

When Alexis and Sam went downstairs, Kristina, Molly, and Scout were already flipping through magazines.

"Find any potentials?" Alexis asked as she and Sam sat down.

"Not really," Molly said as she flipped pages. "I mean, they're all nice dresses, but nothing is standing out. All I know is the colours will be pastel pink and bright purple. Mom, I thought you could wear a purple dress, Sam and Kristina pink, and Scout white and pink."

"Oh, Mol," Kristina said, passing her magazine over. "Wouldn't this look great on Scout?"

Alexis scooched over to have a look. It was a lacy white dress with a pink sash around the waist and a puffy skirt.

"Yes, that's perfect!" Molly beamed. "Scout, do you like it?"

Scout smiled and nodded. "I'll have lots of flower petals, right?"

"That's right, baby," Sam said. "Your role is very important."

"So, before we all arrive, Mom, you and Aunt Stella are going to light the candles up at the front. The two monarchs from our families. Then Unchained Melody will start and both of you will go back to your seats. Then Danny and Scout will walk up, then Lucas and Sam, then Curtis and Kristina. And finally, me and Dad."

"It's sounds beautiful, Molly," Alexis said.

"And then," Molly said. "Jordan will be reading Sonnet 116 once we're all settled."

Kristina rolled her eyes. "I knew that was coming."

"What about the flowers?" Alexis asked.

"Pink anemones," Molly said.

"Mol, how about these?" Alexis showed her some lacy pink bridesmaid dresses with off the shoulder straps.

"Those are nice!" Molly said.

GHGHGH

Alexis moaned and groaned as she got out of her car. She saw no sign of Nikolas on Spoon Island, and Valentin was less than helpful. He was appalled that she would even suggest that Charlotte would tell her something that big and not him. Perhaps she should turn to Julian for help. Maybe he was right, action and investigating weren't her strong suit.

When she walked inside, Wiley was sitting on the floor building a tower out of blocks and Lucas was sitting on the couch with a crying Scout. She let out a heavy sigh. Scout was doing so much better or at least she thought she was. It was Danny who was struggling now.

She took off her coat and sat with them. "Cookie, what's wrong?"

Lucas bit his lip and looked as though he was trying not to laugh.

Scout looked up at Alexis with a serious face and stuck out her lower lip. "Violet said I'm not her best friend anymore."

It was Alexis' turn to bite her lip. She couldn't keep track of the number of times Kristina came home crying from kindergarten saying the same thing. "That must have really upset you. Can you tell Grandma what happened?"

Wiley kicked his block tower over and giggled.

"I wanted the shovel." Scout pouted.

"Okay, did Violet have the shovel?"

She nodded. "But I wanted it."

"And did you take it from her?"

She nodded and stared at her lap.

"And how do you think that made Violet feel?" Alexis asked.

Scout paused for a moment, then said, "Sad."

"Well, I don't think Violet really meant you're not her best friend anymore," Alexis said. "I think she just said that because she was sad."

Scout frowned.

"Do you think there's anything you can do to make Violet feel better?" Alexis asked.

"Say I'm sorry?"

Alexis nodded. "I think that's a really good idea."

"Yeah, and I bet tomorrow you will go back to playing like you used to and forget all about this," Lucas added.

"Okay," Scout said.

"And next time if you want something," Alexis said. "You should ask Violet or another friend if you can have a turn when they are finished and not just take from them."

"Okay," Scout repeated.

"Do you want to play with Wiley now?" Alexis suggested.

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah!" She jumped up and went over to Wiley with the blocks.

Lucas shook his head and laughed. "Wow, preschoolers."

"I know. Just wait until kindergarten."

Alexis' phone began to buzz, so she removed it from her pocket. "Hello?"

"Hi Alexis, it's Epiphany. You need to come to the hospital."

"What? Why?"

"Sam was just brought in," Epiphany said. "There was a fire at the Jerome Gallery."

Alexis' heart sank. "What? What was she even doing there? Is she okay?"

"She's suffering from smoke inhalation, but I think Jason got there in time."

GHGHGH

Finn was standing in the ER flipping through a chart. Alexis rushed over to him. "Sam… is she all right?"

"She will be," Finn said. "She's inhaled a lot of smoke. We have her on oxygen and we'll keep her overnight for observation. It's a good thing Jason got there in time. He got Ava and Nina out too."

Alexis nodded. "I need to see my daughter."

"She's right through the curtain."

"Thank you."

Alexis pushed the curtain aside to see Jason standing next to Sam's stretcher. Sam was lying there, looking up at him, with an oxygen mask on her sooty face.

"I'm glad you're okay," Jason said before his phone started to ring. He pressed it to his ear. "Hello? Carly?"

Sam's shoulders shrunk and her eyes filled with tears.

"What?" Jason said into the phone. "It's okay. Okay. I'll be right there." He slipped his phone away. "I have to go. Carly is really upset. I hope you feel better." He turned and nodded at Alexis before exiting through the curtain.

Sam rolled over on her side crying. Alexis clenched her jaw, then followed Jason through the curtain and grabbed his arm. He turned to her and she slapped him in the face.

His mouth dropped slightly.

"_What the hell is wrong with you_? _You really need to check your priorities_," Alexis yelled at him. "Do you even _care_ how Jake and Danny are doing?"

"Of course, I do," Jason said.

"Well, you have a funny way of showing it. Your sons are traumatized because of their connection to you. And you're doing what? Taking care of Carly's children and wiping her tears when she's upset?"

He stared at her.

"You mean everything to my daughter, but you never put her or your children first. I hope you're happy with your life of being shackled to Sonny and Carly and always having to do their bidding." She huffed loudly. "_Just go_! _Go to your true loves_!"

She turned abruptly and pushed the curtains aside. Sam was sobbing into her oxygen mask, still lying on her side. She climbed on the bed beside her and wrapped her arms around her.


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50**

Sam breathed in and breathed out rapidly, her oxygen mask cloudy, and tears spilling down her cheeks as Alexis rocked her in her arms.

"Sam, please. You have to calm down. Please, Sam… take slow deep breaths…"

"He-he saved me!"

Alexis rubbed small circles on her back. "Please, calm down."

Sam ripped off her mask, sobbing. "I don't understand… I don't… I don't…"

Alexis grabbed the mask and brought it back up to Sam's face. "_Sam, you need to wear this_!"

Sam pushed it away. "I'm nothing…" She leaned forward and coughed hoarsely into her fist.

"_Sam, put your mask on. _For Danny. For Scout. Breathe, Sam. Breathe."

Sam took a deep breath and coughed again. Alexis wrapped the mask around her face, then pulled Sam close to her again and kissed her forehead.

"It's okay, baby, it's okay," Alexis said, crying with her.

Sam's sobs decreased to soft crying as her breathing slowed. Alexis pulled a package of Kleenex from her pocket and pulled out a tissue. She wet it with her tongue and started to wipe some of the soot from Sam's face.

"It's okay," Alexis repeated. "You're going to be okay."

"But… maybe… I … he saved me."

"Because he's good at saving people. Finn said he also saved Ava and Nina," Alexis said. "But is he good at the everyday things? Is he a good father? Was he a good husband? Because unless my memory fails me, he treated you horribly when you were married and when you were pregnant with Danny and when you thought Franco raped you."

She pulled her mask off again, breathing slowly, and raised a hand in protest when Alexis tried to put it back on. "I'm okay now. He saved Danny from Heather Webber… then he took us home with him. He chose us. We were going to be a family."

"Until he got that call and left you, only to be shot off those docks. There will always be a phone call to take him away, and not like a normal job."

Sam swallowed hard. "He'll always put Sonny and Carly first."

Alexis nodded. "Even before his own children."

Sam squeezed her eyes shut and more tears fell down her face. "Like I was putting life with Jason before Danny and Scout."

Alexis frowned and stroked her hair.

"Now my children are paying for my lifestyle choices," Sam continued. "For having Jason in my life, for going after Shiloh."

"But you didn't always do that. It's not too late, honey, you can still put your children first. You still have that choice."

"You know, when Jason came back, I wanted to stay with Drew. I loved our life together. I loved him. That's why I chose him."

"That's very understandable. He put you and the kids first."

Sam sighed. "But that part of me… a part of me was screaming out for Jason. For the way things used to be. How he was there for me when my daughter died. When Danny died. When he was the first person to make me feel like I matter. That part of me needed him back."

Alexis took a deep breath and pushed away some fresh tears from her own eyes. "The part of you that feels like you don't matter? The part of you that feels abandoned when you were born?"

Sam turned away and nodded slowly. "I know you didn't have a choice… I get that now. But…"

"But you still feel abandoned," Alexis said.

"It's just when Jason saves me from those creeps… it's crazy I know… but Kevin's making me realize… that part of me feels like, like I'm being saved from… from my father."

"Because you didn't have anyone to save you from him back then."

Sam nodded.

"So, that feeling, does it last or only in the moments that he saves you?" Alexis asked.

Sam stared at her lap. "When he saves me or is there for me."

"And how often is he there for you?"

"Not often."

"Outside of that feeling, do you feel happy when you're with him?"

She shrugged. "Sometimes."

"And when was the last time you were truly happy?"

Sam finally looked up at her. "Scout's first birthday party."

"And why is that?"

"I was surrounded by the people that I love and people that loved me. I mean, Krissy and Lucas weren't there, and I was mad at Dad at the time…"

"But you felt loved and like you mattered without having to be saved from a dangerous situation?"

She nodded. "And even though Jason was back at that time, I wasn't thinking about him at the party or about him saving me. I had Drew, the kids, you, Molly there."

"And do you think you deserved to feel that way? Do you think you deserve to have someone love you the way Drew loved you?"

Sam paused for several seconds before saying, "I don't know."

Alexis tucked some hair behind Sam's early and smiled. "I think you do. You deserve that and more. But right now, I think you need to focus on your children and yourself first, which I know you've been making steps towards. I'm very proud of you."

Sam smiled slightly.

The curtains parted and Julian rushed in out of breath. "I just heard. Sam, are you okay?"

Sam nodded and locked eyes with Alexis. "I will be."

Alexis climbed out of the bed and stood next to Julian.

"When Curtis and I went on that stakeout…" Julian said. "I thought you were staying behind to do research with Spinelli. What were you doing at Ava's gallery?"

Sam sighed. "I was looking for something for Mom."

Alexis' mouth dropped slightly.

"What?" Julian asked.

"Helena's portrait, so Mom can burn the codicil."

Alexis groaned. "_Sam_, when I said that I was just talking. I didn't mean for _you_ to go looking for it."

"Well, I'm glad you're all right," Julian said. "But Ava, I need to check on her too."

"Julian…" Alexis squeezed his arm. "I'll go find out about Ava. I think Sam needs a good visit with her dad."

Sam smiled slightly.

Alexis kissed Sam's forehead. "I love you, and you matter."


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51**

After finding out where Ava was, Alexis began to push the curtain until she heard Nina's voice.

"What are we going to do now? The portrait's likely burnt to a crisp!"

"Maybe. Maybe not," Ava said.

"What do you mean?" Nina asked.

"Well, what—or who—started the fire anyhow? There are a lot of people who want that portrait. Nikolas, Valentin, Jax, Laura. And Dr. Finn just told me my niece was in the gallery during the fire too. I didn't even see her come in."

"Are you indicating that your niece caused the fire?"

Alexis clenched her hands into fists.

"Not at all," Ava said. "But she could have been after the portrait. She is a Cassadine after all, even though Alexis and her daughters don't associate with them very much. Could it be that Sam thinks the Codicil leaves everything to Alexis instead?"

Alexis rolled her eyes. As if Mikkos would leave anything to his illegitimate daughter.

"Perhaps, but what does it matter if the portrait is gone?" Nina asked.

"Because, if Sam was there, what if she took the codicil from the portrait before the fire started? If not her, then maybe whoever started the fire took it."

"Interesting," Nina said. "Well, whoever does have it, we need to get it. And you, my dear, can start by warming up to your darling niece."

"Like that'll work. She has a very poor opinion of me. Besides, I thought what we wanted was for Valentin to lose everything. What difference does it make if Alexis or Nikolas gets it?"

"_Leverage_, Ava. We need to use this against Valentin. I don't want anyone else but me to get revenge on him after he hired Sasha to pretend to be my daughter. So, start buttering up your niece and I'll talk to Curtis about investigating that fire."

When Alexis returned to Sam, Julian was sitting at the edge of her bed.

"Curtis and I found a clue inside Marchesi's warehouse." He pulled out a wallet-sized photo from his leather jacket and handed it to her.

Her mouth dropped slightly. "Mine and Drew's wedding photo…"

He nodded. "He's definitely out there and we're going to find him."

"We better. I want to give Scout her daddy back."

Alexis stepped inside the curtain. "How are you feeling?"

"Better since I calmed down." Sam shifted in her bed. "I want to go home."

"You will when the doctors give the okay."

Julian tilted his head towards Alexis. "Mothers. They always want to play everything by the book."

Alexis scoffed. "She was in a fire today!"

Julian rolled his eyes. "Back to her excuses for her crazy ideas."

Sam laughed. "Dad has a point."

"At least she didn't bring you flowers with a crazy long name like last time," Julian said.

"Oh, for crying out loud," Alexis said. "She's suffering from smoke inhalation and is staying put until the doctor says otherwise."

"You know," Julian said. "Your mother loves stringing together big words to make her crazy ideas sound reasonable."

Sam chuckled. "Ain't that the truth."

"Sure, gang up on your poor mom." Alexis pouted.

Julian grinned and reached for her hand. "Don't worry, Lex. We love you and your crazy ideas."

"How kind," Alexis said.

"How's Ava?" Julian asked.

"I didn't actually speak to her. She was with Nina, but she seems to be doing well. About as good as Sam. You should go see her."

"Oh no, don't leave me alone with Mom and her crazy ideas," Sam said.

"I won't be gone too long." He kissed her cheek, then bounced his hip off Alexis', and left.

Alexis took Julian's seat at the edge of the bed.

"So, what's your crazy idea this time?" Sam asked.

Alexis rolled her eyes. "I want to talk to you about what you were doing at the gallery."

"I thought I told you. I was trying to get you the codicil."

"And did you get it?"

Sam smiled widely. "It's in my coat pocket."

Alexis sighed. "You have to know that Ava is going to try to get close to you with the hopes of getting it from you. I think you should give it to me."

"I'm not afraid of Ava," Sam said. "But the whole reason I got it was to give to you."

"Okay, because a lot of people are after it and I don't want them to go after you." Alexis grabbed Sam's coat from the chair and reached inside pulling out an envelope. "I'm going to burn it when I get home."

"Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Of course, I do. The greed and power of the Cassadines need to end."

"But if everything is left to someone other than Valentin, then the power would be taken from him."

"Nikolas and Spencer are better off without," Alexis said firmly, and she tucked the envelope inside her coat.

GHGHGH

When Alexis and Julian arrived at the hospital the next morning, Julian went to see Ava, and Alexis went to Sam's temporary room. When she opened the door, Jason was standing next to Sam's bed.

"I'm glad you're doing better," Jason said.

"Jason, we need to talk," Sam said firmly. "I've been doing a lot of reflecting lately, and I'm done. I'm not going to accept your scraps anymore. My kids deserve better and… _I_ deserve better too." She took a deep breath. "Danny and Scout are traumatized because of choices that you and I have made. I always thought danger can be anywhere, not just in the mob life, like when Jake was hit by a car. But now I realize, as a mother, you shouldn't purposely carry your child into a burning building just because you don't know what could go wrong in a non-burning building. And I've been carrying my children into the burning building and now they're paying for it. One of us needs to be a good parent. One of us needs to put Danny first. But you… we all know who comes first in your life. And the only people I should come second to is Danny and Jake. But even your sons are nowhere near the top of your priorities list. They are traumatized… _traumatized_ and you're too busy holding Carly's hand and babysitting! What happened to the Jason I found shot in the snow?"

Jason sighed and muttered, "You smell like snow."

Sam shook her head. "I am done. I'm done chasing after you. I'm done waiting for you. I'm done losing sight of who I am for you. I am done being second to Sonny and Carly. I am Danny and Scout's mother and that comes first! If Danny chooses when he's older to see you than fine, but right now he has healing to do and if you're just going to throw scraps at him too to tease him then just don't. Go. Go to Sonny and Carly. Do what you do best and_ leave_, because we're over for good now."

Jason turned and he had a few tears in his eyes. He walked past Alexis and left.

Alexis moved to Sam's side and squeezed her hand. "Are you okay?"

Sam squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. "My memories say I should be more upset, but I only feel relieved."


	52. Chapter 52

Hi everyone, I've tried making the Davis girls scene a little longer as requested by a guest. More Davis girls scenes will happen around Molly's wedding, especially the night before. Gosh, I wish I'd been naming the chapters all along. Would have made it so much better to go back and re-read things. I'll be sure to do that with book 2. Enjoy!

**Chapter 52**

Alexis left Sam's hospital room and headed over to the nurse's station. Monica and Steve Webber were standing there in white coats.

"Monica? Are you back to work?" Alexis asked.

She smiled. "Yes, this is my first day back. And Dr. Webber has returned to GH as well."

"That's great. I was wondering if you have an update on Sam's condition. She's getting anxious to go home."

"I can check over her chart, but Dr. Finn has been overseeing her." She flipped through the charts.

The elevator doors opened, and paramedics wheeled in a stretcher, Carly trailing behind, pale in the face with bags under her eyes.

"_We need a doctor over here_!" Carly shouted.

Monica's mouth dropped open and her face paled. Alexis saw why: Jason was lying on the stretcher. He opened and closed his eyes, his face sweating. Monica rushed over to him. "What happened?"

"He was complaining of chest pains. It happened so fast!"

"Oh no," Monica said as she and Steve checked him over. "Not like Alan."

"Like Alan?" Carly said appalled. "Jason is the calmest person ever. He can't have heart problems!"

"What was he doing at the time?" Monica asked

"We were just talking!" She glared at Alexis. "He said Sam ended things with him for good. I simply told him to fight for her. That's when he grabbed his chest. I say it's her fault!" She pointed a shaky finger at Alexis.

Alexis' eyes grew wide. "Excuse me?"

"You've been trying to keep them apart since you found out Sam was your daughter!" Carly crossed her arms. "All of your manipulating has been causing him stress."

Alexis shook her head.

"If anything, Carly, it's his life as a mobster and doing things for you constantly has caught up to him," Monica shot at her. "Now get out of the way so we help my son!"

Carly stepped aside and they wheeled Jason away. "I hope you're proud of yourself."

"You're really going to stand there and blame _me_ for this?" Alexis groaned. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised because you blame everything on me."

"That's right, nothing is ever your fault. Perfect Alexis Davis. You're not controlling, but yet everyone _chooses_ to be under your wing. Everyone _chooses_ to live at your house."

Alexis squinted her eyes. "Perhaps you should take a little responsibility for all the people _you_ control in your life, Carly. _Especially_ Jason."

She laughed. "That's funny coming from you. _Me_ controlling?"

"You had him out getting fast food and babysitting just weeks after having major surgery. And let's not forget Sonny sending him out looking for Morgan. And you're _surprised_ something like this happened?"

The elevators opened and Kristina and Molly stepped out.

"Mom! Lucas just told us about Sam," Kristina said.

"Is she okay?" Molly asked.

"Yes, she's doing much better," Alexis said. "Let's go see her." She wrapped her arms around both of them and didn't even look at Carly as they passed her.

When they entered Sam's hospital room she was flipping through a magazine. Her eyes lit up when she saw her sisters.

"Hey!" Kristina and Molly said as they rushed over and hugged Sam at the same time.

"How are you, Sam?" Kristina asked.

"I'm just ready to get out of here," Sam said.

Sam scooched over so Kristina could sit beside her and Alexis and Molly sat close to them on the edge of the bed.

"We were so worried when Lucas told us," Molly said. "We'd just arrived at your place, Mom. We wanted to go over ideas for the catering and I found a poem I thought you could read at the wedding."

Alexis grinned. "Which poem?"

"It's called _When I Die I want Your Hands on My Eyes_ by Pablo Neruda," Molly said.

Sam and Kristina looked at each other and laughed quietly.

"Oh and Sam, I thought you and Kristina could say a speech at the reception. Up to you if you want to say it together or separately. _Oh_, and I spoke to Michael yesterday. He's going to be the MC."

"Michael will make a great MC," Sam said.

"Do you mind if we get ready at your place, Mom? I was thinking we could sleepover. The men are going to stay at our place," Molly said.

Alexis placed a hand over her heart and began to tear up. "Having all my girls under one roof again?"

"Awe, Mom." Sam squeezed her hand. "You still have us even when we're not under your roof."

"Sam's right. I have the eleven voice mails from yesterday to prove it," Kristina said. "And that was before Sam was in the hospital."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "I got caught up here that's why I didn't call you about Sam."

"Only eleven?" Molly said. "She called me _thirteen _times yesterday."

"Yeah, and neither of you picked up," Alexis said.

"Well, I guess that's the silver lining of living with Mom," Sam said. "She doesn't call me that often anymore. She only calls me twice when I'm at work."

"Yeah, and you hardly pick up either," Alexis said.

"You probably shouldn't call us that many times," Kristina said.

Alexis frowned. "But you're my babies. I miss you."

"Krissy, Molly… we're lucky to have Mom," Sam said. "That just shows she cares. She will always be there for us and calling us that many times just proves that she's just one call away."

"I suppose so," Kristina said.

Alexis nodded. "Thank you, Sam."

"Well, shall we do it?" Molly kissed her two fingertips and placed them in front of her. "Haven't done this in a while."

Alexis smiled. "Absolutely! Okay, girls. One… two… three!" They all kissed their two fingertips and placed them in the middle together and through their arms in the air, giggling.

"Sam?" Steve's voice appeared in the doorway. "I've just gone over your chart and your latest chest x-rays give you the all clear to be discharged."

"Finally," Sam said.

GHGHGH

After taking Sam home, Alexis went to her office to work on Lucas' case. She turned on her laptop and sighed when it said _Working on Updates 1% complete._ She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her chin. She smiled at a photo of herself and Julian, then one of herself with Sam, Kristina, and Molly, and finally of Danny and Scout. Then, she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out the envelope Sam retrieved for her. She stared at it. And stared at it. And stared at it. Besides Nikolas and Spencer, and now Charlotte whom she'd grown to care for, she wanted to leave the Cassadines behind her. And she wanted the same thing for Nikolas. She reached beside a vanilla candle on her desk for her matches. She lit a match and held it close to the envelope, the flame barely a centimetre from it. Her chest feeling heavy, she blew out the flame. She groaned at her own curiosity and began to slowly rip open the envelope. She slipped the piece of paper out and the first sentence she read made her jerk her head back unexpectedly.

**Action Plan for the New Port Charles by Helena Cassadine in association with Cesar Faison, Salvatore Marchesi, and Dr. Arthur Cabot.**

"_What_?" Alexis blurted out, then continued reading.

**For the purpose of bringing the citizens of Port Charles under submission.**

**Brenda Barrett—FAIL**

**Richard Lansing—FAIL**

**Courtney Matthews—FAIL**

**Lucas Spencer II—FAIL**

**Patient 1—The Counterfeit Leader**

**Patient 2—The Authoritarian**

**Patient 3—The Forbidden Love**

**Patient 4—The False Love**

**Patient 5—The Spare**

**Patient 6—The Bondsman**

Alexis laid the paper flat on her desk and stared at it, mouth slightly agape. The top right-hand corner said page one. She peeked inside the envelope once more, but it contained no other pages.


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter 53**

Alexis poured a cup of coffee for herself and Julian and sat at the kitchen table. Julian had been working a lot of overtime that week and Alexis had been spending a lot of time at Molly's preparing for the wedding next weekend, so they hadn't seen much of each other. And it didn't help that they'd slept in past 10:30 that morning.

"Lucas just took Leo and Wiley to the park," Julian said. "Leo's upset that he doesn't get to go with Danny and Scout, so Lucas wants to make a fun day for him."

"That's good. Julian… I made a strange discovery after Sam got out of the hos—"

"Grandma! Grandma!" Scout darted into the kitchen and jumped on Alexis' lap. "It's today! It's today!"

Alexis smiled at Scout's purple skirt. "It sure is, Grandma Monica and Jake will be here soon. Are you sure you don't want to wear something more comfy on the plane?"

Scout grinned. "I want to look beautiful for Timon and Pumbaa!"

Julian took a sip of his coffee. "Yes, you want to look your best for those guys."

"You always look beautiful, Cookie." Alexis kissed her cheek. "And you can still dress nice, but the show isn't until tomorrow. You're going to sleep in a hotel first. And you're going to be on a plane for a whole hour, so you'll want something comfortable."

"Oh, come on, Lex," Julian cut in. "They're going on the Quartermaine private jet, I'm sure they'll be comfortable no matter what they wear."

Alexis nodded. "Yeah, I suppose you're right."

"Good morning." Sam walked in with Danny who had his backpack hanging from one shoulder. Alexis sighed, she hated when he wore it on one shoulder keeping his back unbalanced.

"Are you excited for the show, Danny?" Julian asked.

Danny shrugged. "Kind of… Maybe… Yeah."

"Well, Monica said the hotel you're staying at has an indoor pool," Julian said, reached in a bag beside him. "We got you a blow-up beach ball and some pool rings."

"You haven't been swimming since before Christmas, Danny," Alexis said. "I think you'll have a lot of fun."

"Will Jake swim with us?" Scout asked.

"Maybe," Sam said. "You can ask him. I packed your bathing suits so you're all set. And Mommy's friend Curtis is going with you. He's going to help tour you around the city."

Danny's eyes moved to her and his face was tense. "You mean he'll be guarding us."

Sam opened her mouth to respond but there was a knock from the front door.

Alexis lifted Scout from her lap. "That's probably Monica. You kids should eat something before you go, I'll go get it."

She made her way to the front door and Monica was standing on the porch.

"Hi," Monica said. "Jake wanted to wait in the car with Curtis."

"Please, Come in." Alexis stepped aside, then followed Monica into the living room. "How's Jason?"

"Well, I am shocked," Monica said. "He was released yesterday. It was only Angina… which is still serious, and I told him he has to take it easy, but it could have been a lot worse. Carly was hovering the entire time and drove me crazy. But when I finally had a moment alone with him, he said he was afraid he blew his second chance with his sons. That was just before I told him it was only Angina."

"Wow, sounds like it got him thinking."

"But what shocked me even more, he was there when I arrived at Elizabeth's this morning."

Alexis' eyes grew wide. "To see Jake?"

She nodded. "He was drawing with him in the living room. Elizabeth said he'd been there for over an hour. Which I know isn't much, but it's a start."

"As long as he keeps up with it."

"My thoughts exactly. I just hope Carly's claws don't dig even deeper into him. Jake was quiet when I arrived, but he seemed happy. But like he was unsure. I almost hated interrupting, but Jake has been looking forward to this trip."

"Grandma Monica!" Scout ran into the living room and crashed into her arms.

"Good morning, sweetheart. Are you ready to go?" Monica asked.

"Uh huh!"

"Hi Danny." Monica walked over to him and Sam and hugged him. "I've been so looking forward to spending this time with your brother and sister."

Danny smiled a little.

Sam wrapped her arms around Danny and Scout. "Stay with your grandma and Curtis, and don't speak to strangers. Have lots of fun. I love you both."

After their hugs and goodbyes, Monica left with the kids. Alexis took a deep breath. She had to tell them about Helena's plan. But Sam spoke first.

"Dad, we have to head out. Curtis found a lead on Drew. He called me earlier, but as he's headed to New York with the kids, we have to follow it." She grabbed her jacket and tossed Julian his.

"Will you be gone long?" Alexis asked. "It's the weekend."

"I know," Sam said. "But the kids aren't home and it's important. I'm not sure how long we'll be. Love you!"

GHGHGH

Alexis took a seat on one side of the glass. She rubbed her sweaty hands on her thighs. Perhaps this was a crazy idea… she chuckled a little and a guard looked at her funny. Another crazy idea that Julian and Sam keep talking about.

Dr. Cabot sat down on the other side of the glass and scrunched his face. Both of them lifted a red phone and he spoke first in what sounded like a Swedish accent. "Do I know you?"

Alexis shook her head. "We haven't met."

His eyes grew wide. "And are you going to enlighten me with your name?"

Alexis cleared her throat. "Alexis Davis."

"And what brings you here?"

Alexis removed the piece of paper from her pocket and held it against the glass. "I want you to tell me what this means."

He swallowed hard. "And why would I do that?"

She folded it up and slipped it away again. "What does your twin experiment have to do with Helena's plan to bring Port Charles into submission?"

He laughed and muttered, "Twin experiment."

Alexis furrowed her eyebrows. "That twin experiment you did. Half the town knows about it."

He grinned. "Indeed."

"So, patients one through six… Kevin and Ryan, Anna and Alex, Drew and Jason… But why does it list four people, including my ex-husband, as failed?"

"And why should I tell you? What's in it for me?"

Alexis leaned forward. "What do you want?"

"I have heard your name once or twice… I know you are a lawyer."

Alexis groaned.

"If I tell you what you want to hear," Dr. Cabot said. "Then I want my freedom in return."

"You want me to defend you…"

He nodded.

"So you can do what? Meddle with other people's brains?"

"I will give you a little preview… some of the twins were a decoy. A distraction… And also practice for the real patients 1 through 6."

Her mouth dropped slightly. "And who are the real patients?"

He leaned back in his chair and smiled again. "I will tell you more if you defend me."

She gritted her teeth. "No."

His nostrils flared. "You will regret that Ms. Davis."

"I'll just find out another way." Alexis hung up the phone and walked away.


	54. Chapter 54

Hi everyone. I couldn't find today's show posted online that wasn't in poor quality so I got started on the next chapter sooner. I'll try to start the next chapter too. I thought a small Alexis/Kristina scene was needed since most of her focus has been on Sam and the next chapter or two Molly will have the spotlight. Hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 54**

Alexis climbed out of her car and headed towards the house. She slipped out her cell phone and stood on the porch. She had received a text message from Sam: _Found another lead! Be home late xo_

Alexis sighed. Maybe Lucas and the kids would be home soon so she wouldn't be alone for dinner. She began to rummage through her purse for her house key.

_Ding_! A text message from Lucas: Taking Leo and Wiley to Mom's for dinner. Be back later.

She groaned. She really would be alone that evening. She pushed aside her wallet and rolled some lipstick over, when _Crunch_. She jolted and her phone dropped to the ground. She peeked over at the trees where the sound came from, heart speeding up. Did it really have to get so dark at 5 o'clock?

She bent over to pick up her phone… _Crunch_! She jolted again and fell to her knees. The branches from the trees blew softly in the wind. She grabbed her phone and stood to her feet. Why hadn't she re-attached her house key with her car key since Sam used her car last week?

_Ring_! _Ring_!

She jumped again. This time, her phone was ringing, Monica's name displayed on the screen. "Hello?"

"Hi Alexis, it's Monica."

Alexis continued looking through her purse. "Hi Monica. Are the kids okay?"

"Yes. Well, mostly. Scout is a little sad because she forgot her sponges. She wants to go home to get them, but I told her it's too far to go home right now or we'll miss the show tomorrow."

Alexis laughed a little.

"She doesn't even want to go swimming with the boys. I tried calling Sam, but there was no answer," Monica said. "Would you mind talking to her?"

"Yes, of course."

"Thank you."

There was a pause until Scout's whiny voice appeared, "Grandma, Mommy forgot my special sponges."

"That's okay, Cookie. You're still going to have lots of fun."

"But I don't have a gift for Simba and Nala. Grandma Monica said we can buy some at the shop, but they're not special."

"Cookie, their gift will be having you there singing along with them." She finally found her house hey in her coat pocket and unlocked the door.

"Really?" Scout asked.

"Yes, really." She stepped inside and closed the door. Annabelle the second barked and placed her front paws against Alexis' legs. "And I bet they'll sing even better knowing you'll be there."

"I will sing too. I know all their songs."

Alexis smiled. "And you can save your sponges for something else that is special to you. Okay Cookie?"

"Okay."

"Now, why don't you go for a swim with Danny and Jake? I bet it'll be lots of fun."

"Okay, Grandma."

"I love you, Cookie."

After hanging up, Alexis sat on the couch. Annabelle the second jumped on her lap. "I guess it's just us tonight, huh?" She sighed. She hadn't spent an evening alone in ages. She leaned against the couch, when—

_Ring_! _Ring_!

Alexis jolted again. Why was her anxiety so high that night? Kristina's name displayed on her phone. "Hi Kristina!"

"Hey, Mom. Chase is working tonight, and Molly and TJ are having dinner with Stella. I'm kind of bored. Want to go for dinner at Kelly's?"

Alexis smiled. "Do I? Everyone is out tonight and I'm alone. Yes, let's have dinner!"

GHGHGH

When Alexis arrived at Kelly's, Kristina was waiting at a table. They hugged and Alexis sat across from her.

"I'm so glad you called," Alexis said. "The house felt so empty."

"I bet the kids are excited to see the Lion King."

She nodded. "Yeah, Monica originally planned to get tickets for Frozen but didn't think the boys would enjoy it as much as Scout. She figured everyone would like the Lion King."

"I haven't seen a Broadway show in forever."

"Hi ladies," Trina's voice appeared before she did. "What'll it be?"

"Two burgers with fries and a cup of chamomile for me," Alexis said.

"And I'll have a coke," Kristina said.

Trina wrote that down then moved behind the counter.

"How are you?" Alexis asked. "I feel like we haven't spent much time together lately."

She smiled slightly. "I've been kind of down actually."

"Is everything okay with Chase?"

"Yeah!" Kristina said. "He's been great. We're having so much fun together. He's so different than my past relationships."

"Then what's wrong?"

She frowned. "I just thought Dad would have found Morgan by now. I was hoping he'd be at Molly's wedding. And I know she was hoping for it too. They used to be close as kids. She was even closer to him than I was."

"But he's still your brother. Of course you'd want him there."

"I just want another chance with him. To tell him that I love him."

"Well, knowing your dad and his resources, I think the chances of finding him are high," Alexis said.

"I hope so," Kristina said. "Gosh, Molly is so excited about her wedding. I mean, most brides are, but for her… she's been a hopeless romantic since she was eight."

Alexis nodded. "I know. I want to make it very special for her. Even if it means reading that sappy love poem." She and Kristina laughed together.

"I can't believe it's next Saturday already." She grinned. "I mean, isn't she ten?"

Alexis chuckled. "To me she's still that newborn baby I delivered during that train wreck. I feel that way about all you girls."

Kristina raised an eyebrow. "You mean, you picture Sam and I at that train wreck too?"

Alexis rolled her eyes. "No. I still see you all the way you were when you were born."

Kristina smiled. "I know, I'm just teasing you."

"You girls are always teasing me. Come to think of it, Julian always does too."

"That's because you're so much fun to make fun of. You're an easy target."

"Gee, thanks."

After eating their burgers and visiting a little longer, Kristina took off. Alexis took her time but made her way back to the car and started the ignition. The second her car started a set of headlights flashed on their high beams causing her to squeeze her eyes shut. When she opened them, the car and the headlights were gone.

She started driving. The roads were quiet, and she seemed to hit every red light. She turned a corner and looked through her rear-view mirror. It looked like the same car from Kelly's, only with no headlights on at all tailing closely behind her. She sped up a little and so did the other car. She reached another intersection, and the car's headlights flashed to high beam once more, then turned a fast left and disappeared from view.


	55. Chapter 55

Hi everyone, so this is a fun and light chapter. It's purely Davis girls, including our littlest Davis girl Scout. And next chapter will be Molly's wedding! Enjoy!

**Chapter 55**

Alexis pulled into the driveway. It had been a long week at work and between the kids, and Sam and Julian working extra again, she still wasn't able to tell either of them about the patients or that she felt like she was being watched last Saturday. She figured it must have just been some partiers playing a trick on her because nothing else had happened that week. Julian took Leo to Ava's for the night, Wiley with Michael, and Lucas and Danny with the groom and best man at TJ and Molly's apartment.

Danny had had the best week since the kidnapping. The trip to the Big Apple had done him wonders. Monica had said that he and Jake had a blast in the pool, splashing each other and diving for pool rings. He'd still be in his room doing homework that week, but not constantly. He would also play with Scout and Wiley though he still didn't interact too warmly with the adults in the house. But it was nonetheless a huge improvement and Scout was on cloud nine having her brother play with her again. She kept breaking out in song with _Hakuna Matata_ and _I Just Can't Wait to be King_. All she would talk about was the show and how she wanted to go to the theatre again sometime soon. She also expressed an interest in singing on stage like her favourite lions.

When Alexis walked in, Sam, Kristina, Molly, and Scout were cozied up on the couch in their pajamas already with a bowl of popcorn.

"Mom, you're just in time!" Molly said, smiling. "The popcorn just came out of the microwave."

Scout frowned. "You don't have jammies, Grandma."

Sam wrapped her arm around her and looked over at Alexis. "Scout's right. You've gotta wear jammies if you want to join the party, Grandma."

Alexis scowled. "Only Danny, Scout, and Wiley get to call me that."

"If you say so… _Grandma_." Kristina grinned.

Alexis rolled her eyes.

"No jammies, no party," Molly said. "_Grandma_…"

"Oh, fine. I'll go change." Alexis headed upstairs.

She slipped off her black blazer and slipped on her only pair of white pajamas with a pattern of purple flowers on it. She headed downstairs and Scout was asleep in Sam's arms.

"I better get this little one to bed," Sam said with a smile. She lifted her and carried her up the stairs.

Alexis sat between Kristina and Molly and wrapped her arms around them, then kissed the top of each of their heads. "Are you sure you both don't want to drop everything and move back home?"

"Mom, we can't," Kristina said. "Molly's getting married tomorrow and I have my own life."

"But we're always going to need you," Molly added. "Just in different ways now."

"And that doesn't include calling me eleven times a day…" Kristina muttered.

"She only called me ten times today," Molly said.

Kristina shrugged. "I suppose that's an improvement."

Alexis groaned.

Sam came down the stairs and sat on the other side of Molly. She wrapped her arms around her and squeezed her tight. "I can't believe you're getting married tomorrow!"

Molly smiled. "Me neither."

"So, what did you have planned for us tonight?" Kristina asked. "Recite Shakespeare?"

Sam chuckled and Alexis bit her lip.

"Nooo," Molly said. "You will think this is cheesy, but I thought we could play Truth or Dare."

Kristina leaned over Alexis and furrowed her eyebrows at Molly. "You're right. What do you think we all are, middle graders?"

Alexis and Sam exchanged an awkward look.

"Oh come on, I'm going to be married tomorrow," Molly said. "I want to do one last fun thing."

"Well, try not to get to wild, Mol." Sam winked at her.

"And you think Truth or Dare is fun?" Kristina asked.

"It was when Sam used to hang out with us when we were younger," Molly said. "Like when you dared me to flush Mom's purple cardigan down the toilet."

Alexis' mouth dropped open. "That was _you_?"

Molly shrugged. "Sorry Mom… or when I dared Sam to rearrange Mom's bedroom. The look on Mom's face when she came home… priceless."

Sam and Kristina laughed.

"I notice a pattern to all these dares… they all seem to have involved me."

"Maybe Molly's right," Sam said. "It could be fun."

"Now that I'm remembering those times, yeah," Kristina agreed.

They all turned to Alexis. She threw her arms in the air. "I guess I'm outnumbered!"

"Great!" Molly said. "I'll start. Mom, truth or dare?"

Alexis exhaled deeply. "I knew you were going to ask me first. Truth!"

"Well, I'd ask if you ever talk to yourself in the mirror, but I know you do… so what was the last thing you said to your reflection?"

"I said, 'You're better than Carly and she won't win at her own game'."

"Good one, Mom," Sam said, but she and Kristina chuckled.

"Okay, Mom, your turn," Molly said.

"All right, Kristina, truth or da—"

"Dare," Kristina said without hesitation.

"Okay, I dare you… hmm… I dare you to go dust my desk."

All three sisters scoffed.

"Oh come on!" Kristina said.

"Surely you can come up with something better than that," Molly said.

"That is something Kristina doesn't enjoy doing and something I've been neglecting the last couple of weeks, so I think it's a good dare," Alexis said.

Kristina sighed. "Fine, but I want someone else to do me next round." She ran to the kitchen and returned with a dust cloth. She placed Alexis' laptop on the chair and dusted off the desk. "Are you happy?"

Alexis smiled. "I am delighted."

Kristina tossed the cloth over her shoulder and it missed the desk falling to the floor. Then she plopped down on the couch again. "Sam, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you and mom to put on running shoes and tie your shoelaces together, then walk across the room together," Kristina said.

Sam laughed.

"Kristina, we could fall," Alexis said.

She shrugged. "That's the whole point."

Sam jumped up and headed to the front closet and seized two pairs of running shoes, handing a pair to Alexis.

Alexis groaned but pulled the shoes on. She and Sam stood side by side at one end of the room and tied their shoelaces together. Kristina and Molly stood to get a better look, and said together, "Ready, set, go!"

They took two steps and Alexis fell immediately, Sam falling on top of her. Alexis laughed harder than any of them this time.

"See, Mom," Molly said. "This is fun."

After trying to take another few steps, Alexis fell bringing Sam down with her again. They removed their shoes and sat down at the couch again.

"Okay, Molly," Sam said. "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare!"

"Okay, I dare you to blindfold Mom and tickle her."

Alexis frowned.

Molly ran to the front closet and returned with a pink scarf. She tied it around Alexis' eyes. But Alexis didn't feel just one set of hands tickle her, she felt all three of them tickle her and she laughed out loud.

Alexis removed the blindfold and all three of her daughters were laughing at her.

"Okay, since Kristina wants someone else to ask her this time…" Molly said. "Krissy, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to put make-up on Mom, but do a very poor job," Molly said.

Sam snorted.

Alexis lifted her hands partly in the air at her sides. "Okay seriously, why do all of your dares involve me even if it's not my turn?"

GHGHGH

Alexis looped her diamond earrings through her earlobes as Kristina finished doing up Molly's hair and Sam did Scout's. Alexis straightened her purple dress and walked over to the girls. Sam and Kristina wore matching lacy pink dresses and Scout wore a puffy white dress with a pink sash around her waist. Sam pulled up Scout's hair with some ringlets in the front. Alexis teared up at the sight of Molly. It reminded Alexis of Princess Kate's wedding dress, as Molly's had lacy long sleeves and the skirt puffed out touching the ground. Her hair was done up with glitter sparkling through it and a tiny tiara sat on top.

As Molly stood, Alexis placed a hand over her heart, and she began to cry. "Molly… you are so beautiful." She opened her arms widely and wrapped them around Molly.

"Thanks, Mom," Molly said.

"Something Blue!" Scout said loudly.

"Oh, yes," Alexis said, letting go of the embrace, but keeping one arm around Molly's shoulders. "Scout has been anxious for this tradition. Would you like to give your gift first, Cookie?"

Scout smiled brightly and nodded really fast. She lifted a tiny white gift bag from beside Alexis' desk and handed it to Molly. "Something Blue, Auntie Molly."

"Thank you, Scout." Molly opened the bag and pulled out a small blue sponge in the shape of a fish.

"Grandma said I can save my special sponges for something special, so it's Something Blue."

Molly smiled and hugged her. "Thank you, Scout. I'm going to place it in my bouquet."

Kristina handed her bouquet of pink anemones and Molly placed the sponge in the centre.

"I'll go next," Kristina said and handed her a white gift bag. "I was in charge of Something New."

Molly opened the gift bag and pulled out a silver necklace with tiny topaz stones along it.

"It's our birthstone, Mol."

Molly hugged her tightly. "Thank you." She handed it to Kristina, and she helped her put it on.

Sam smiled and handed her another white gift bag. "Now, I'm giving you Something Borrowed."

Molly opened it and pulled out small silver hooped earrings. "Awe Sam, I've always loved these ones." She hugged her tightly and Sam's eyes welled with tears.

Molly turned to Alexis.

"Molly, my littlest baby." She looked at them all. "Okay, she's not the littlest anymore, I know she's taller than both of you now… but my last baby. I have Something Old for you." She handed her the final white gift bag.

Molly opened the bag and pulled out a silver watch.

"My mother's watch," Alexis said. "I think she'd want you to wear it."

"Oh, Mom." Molly hugged her tightest of all. "Thank you so much!"


	56. 56 A Wedding Mixed Memories Confused Tod

Hi everyone, so I know what you're thinking… why start naming chapters after 56 of them? LOL. I am having a hard time going back to re-read stuff that I need to remember to fill in any holes and to keep continuity going, because I don't know which chapter is which. So, I'm starting now. I guess that's the thing with fanfics, once it's posted it's posted and you can't make changes. Hopefully there's continuity and no holes. Anyway, enjoy Molly and TJ's wedding!

**Chapter 56- A Wedding, Mixed Memories, and a Confused Toddler**

Alexis arrived at the church before her girls. On a small table in the foyer, was the guest book with _Molly and Thomas Jr. March 14, 2020_ displayed on the cover, bouquets of anemones on either side. Lucas and Curtis stood at the doorway leading to the sanctuary handing programs to Felix, Epiphany, and Amy, who then proceeded inside.

"Lexie! Lexie!" Leo, wearing a black and white suit with a red bowtie crashed into her arms, with Julian and Danny trailing behind him.

"Hi Leo!" She hugged him back, then smiled at her grandson, who also wore a black and white suit but with a pink bowtie matching the groomsmen and the bridesmaids' dresses. "Hi Danny. Are you all ready for the big day?"

He pulled on his bowtie. "Why do I have to wear pink?"

Julian grinned and tapped his shoulder. "It's just for one day, bud. Your aunt loves pink."

Danny frowned.

Julian looked Alexis up and down then cupped her face in his hands. "You look beautiful, Lex." He kissed her.

"Eeeeew!" Leo blurted out.

Alexis laughed, then straightened Julian's red bowtie. "And you look very handsome."

"Shall we head in?" Julian held his arm out for her, and she looped her hand through.

"Can I stay back here with Danny and Lucas?" Leo asked.

Julian shrugged. "For a bit, I guess. Lucas can let you know when to join us."

Alexis and Julian walked in and the sanctuary was filled with pink anemones. Felix, Epiphany, and Amy sat in the back pew on the right-hand side. Some of TJ's distant relatives took up three rows in the middle, and Stella and Jordan sat up front.

Alexis groaned. Valentin and Nina, who weren't invited, sat in the back-left row with Spencer and Charlotte who were. Dante, Lulu, Laura, and Rocco sat in front of them.

"He is my bodyguard!" Charlotte insisted. "I'm not making it up!"

"You just want to distract me from my inheritance." Charlotte and Spencer bickered back and forth as Valentin and Nina talked.

Valentin turned his head and locked eyes with Alexis, glaring at her which sent shivers up and down her spine.

They walked further down the aisle. Jax, Diane, Max, and Chase were sitting with Willow and Michael. Wiley stood at Michael's feet in a red bowtie matching Julian and Leo, and his blonde hair was slicked to the side. But Alexis groaned again. Carly, looking white as a ghost with bloodshot eyes, knelt in front of Wiley.

"Hi sweetheart," she said. "It's so good to see you."

Wiley stared at her, eyebrows furrowed.

"We're going to start seeing each other more often soon. I know it's been a while since I last saw you. But I'm your gra—"

"Gamma!" Wiley hustled past Carly and hugged Alexis' legs. "Gamma! Molly weddid!"

Alexis smiled. "I know, this is so exciting!"

She looked up. Carly's nostril flared and her eyes narrowed in on Alexis.

"Uppy!" Wiley lifted his arms up high. "Uppy Gamma! Uppy!"

Alexis scooped him up and kissed his cheek.

"Hey, buddy," Michael said. "Don't you want to sit with Daddy Michael and Willow?"

"No." Wiley shook his head, then leaned it against Alexis. "Sit with Gamma Gampa."

"Wiley." Carly rubbed his back. "I think you'll be happy sitting with your daddy."

Wiley lifted his head and moved it back and forth, then looked at Alexis and lifted his hands part-way in the air. "Daddy not here."

Michael sighed. "Bud, if you want to sit with Grandma and Grandpa, that's okay."

Carly crossed her arms. "_Michael_, you need to fight for your son!"

"But he wants to sit with them."

"Then I'll keep fighting for him. Come here Wiley." Carly tucked her hands under Wiley's arms and attempted to pull him away from Alexis, but he started wailing.

"Gamma! Gamma!"

"Mom,_ stop it_!" Michael pulled her arms away. "You're upsetting him. This is Molly's wedding and I don't want you to ruin it. Now sit down!"

Carly clenched her jaw, then sat in the row in front of Michael with Sonny, Avery, Josslyn, and Cameron. Alexis and Julian walked past them, and Wiley quickly calmed down. Elizabeth was alone in the front row, turned slightly, talking to Cameron and Josslyn.

They walked over to Stella and Jordan in the front row. Alexis held Wiley with one arm and with her free hand, she squeezed Jordan and Stella's hands.

"It's a beautiful day!" Stella said, beaming. "My little TJ and your little Molly getting married!"

"It's hard to believe this day has finally come," Jordan said.

"I know." Alexis rubbed Wiley's back. "They grow so fast."

They made their way over to the bride's side and sat next to Elizabeth. She turned to them, but Cameron was still leaning forward. "The church looks beautiful. Ric has been talking about this day for weeks."

Cameron closed his eyes and brought a fist to his mouth.

"You two have been spending a lot of time together," Alexis commented. Wiley rubbed her bracelet between his fingers.

She smiled a little. "Yeah. He's been so good to my boys. Reminds me when Aiden was a baby and he rescued him from Heather Webber."

Alexis scrunched her face. "I remember Franco abducting Aiden, but I don't remember Ric rescuing him. When did Heather Webber have Aiden?"

Elizabeth jerked her head back a bit. "Franco never abducted Aiden. Heather was about to jump off the hospital roof with him, but Ric grabbed him just in time."

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Because that sounds like Jason saving Dan—"

"Daddy! Lexie!" Leo was standing in front of them. "Lucas said it's starting."

Julian patted the seat beside him. "Come sit, bud."

As Leo sat between Julian and Alexis, Unchained Melody began to play through the speakers. Alexis handed Wiley to Julian, and she and Stella walked to the front and lit the candles. They exchanged a warm smile and returned to their seats. TJ walked to the front, wearing a black and white suit with a white bowtie, and stood next to the priest. He smiled at Jordan and Stella and folded his hands before turning his attention to the back of the church.

Alexis twisted her head around and Danny and Scout began to walk up, but Scout paused. Her face was pale, and her eyes grew wide as she looked around the room. But Danny squeezed her hand with his free hand and held a tiny pillow with his other. He whispered something in her ear, and they started walking again. Scout scooped some pink flower petals from her white basket and scattered them beside her. Each time she scattered some, she'd stop and curtsy causing the room with be filled with "Awws". Danny let go of her hand at the front and stood several feet from TJ. Scout looked out, eyes wide again, then ran behind Danny.

Alexis smiled at them and winked, then turned her attention to the back again. Lucas and Sam's arms were linked as they walked up the aisle smiling. Lucas kissed her cheek, then moved beside Danny. Sam stood on the left side and held her hand out for Scout. She scooted over to Sam and clung to her leg, peeking out at everyone.

Alexis' eyes moved to the back once more, and Curtis and Kristina walked up, arms linked. Alexis smiled at them as Curtis stood between Lucas and TJ. He patted the groom's back. Kristina stood on the other side of Sam and they sideways hugged each other.

The music grew louder as Ric and Molly entered the sanctuary and everyone rose to their feet. Alexis pulled out a handkerchief to dab her wet eyes. As they walked up the aisle, Alexis pressed the tips of her middle and index fingers to her lips and blew Molly a kiss. When they reached the altar, Molly hugged Ric. Everyone sat down—excluding Alexis. She walked over and held Molly tightly in her arms and kissed her forehead, then she returned to her seat. She glanced over at Ric who slipped his arm around Elizabeth, Cameron's lips were in a thin line. She turned back to the front. Molly stood between Kristina and TJ. She handed her bouquet to Molly, then held TJ's hands, her eyes welling with tears.

"Dearly beloved," the priest spoke. "We are gathered here today to join Thomas Ashford Jr. and Molly Lansing-Davis in holy matrimony. Their time together, they have seen their love and understanding of each other grow and blossom and now they have decided to live out the rest of their lives as one. Now, the groom's mother, Jordan, would like to read a poem."

Jordan walked up to the pulpit and unfolded a piece of paper. "Sonnet 116:

_Let me not to the marriage of true minds_

_Admit impediments. Love is not love_

_Which alters when it alteration finds,_

_Or bends with the remover to remove._

_O no! it is an ever-fixed mark_

_That looks on tempests and is never shaken;_

_It is the star to every wand'ring bark,_

_Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken._

_Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks_

_Within his bending sickle's compass come;_

_Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,_

_But bears it out even to the edge of doom._

_If this be error and upon me prov'd,_

_I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd._"

Jordan returned to her seat and Alexis smiled over at her.

"Now Thomas, repeat after me," the priest continued. "I Thomas…"

"I Thomas," TJ repeated.

"Take thee Molly to be my wife and love from this day forward."

"Take thee Molly to be my wife and love from this day forward."

"For better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part."

TJ repeated, smiling at Molly.

"Now Molly, repeat after me…"

"…until death do us part," Molly repeated.

"And now, the rings," the priest announced.

Danny walked up to TJ and Molly and handed them the rings. Molly touched Danny's cheek before he returned to Lucas' side.

"Thomas, repeat after me," the priest said. "I Thomas…"

"…give this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you." He placed the ring on Molly's finger.

"Molly, repeat after me," the priest said. "I Molly…"

"…as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you." She placed the ring on TJ's finger.

"By the power vested in me by the State of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

TJ cupped Molly's face in his hands and kissed her.

Alexis rose to her feet and clapped with everyone else, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her baby was officially married.


	57. Chapter 57- A Bodyguard Revealed

Yeesh, I didn't think this chapter would get written tonight, but I pushed through. I'm really sad, but we're getting close-ish to the end. Who wants that sequel idea?

**Chapter 57- A Bodyguard Revealed**

It had been a week since the wedding, and it seemed everyday Julian and Sam would get another lead on Drew. Chase and Kristina were growing more serious and took Danny and Leo for a ride in his police car this past weekend. Molly and TJ enjoyed their honeymoon in the Dominican Republic but were excited to come home and start on their lives as a married couple. Lucas became very stressed with Wiley's upcoming custody hearing. He was always on edge and had trouble sleeping each night. Alexis focused most of her work energy on building a case against Carly. She truly thought Carly didn't stand a chance without Michael in her corner, except she had Diane. Diane was a good lawyer and would likely find something to use against Lucas.

After working into the evening, Alexis folded Lucas' case and grabbed her purse. It was finally getting warmer outside and all she needed was a light jacket. When she reached the parking lot, she stopped in her tracks. Written in neon pink across her windshield, it said, _We Know What You Know_. Her chest grew heavy and her breathing sped up. She stared at it for what felt like an eternity and headed back to her office. She pulled out her phone and tried Julian first. No answer. She dialed 911. "I'd like to report some vandalism."

"Your name and location, Miss?"

"Alex—"

Her phone was ripped from her hand. She suddenly felt numb. She slowly turned and almost dropped to the floor.

"Please, don't scream."

Alexis rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Nikolas. "Oh my gosh…" She let go of him and cupped his face in her hands. "You really are alive."

He smiled slightly, then she smacked his chest.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Alexis yelled. "It's enough you'd let me think you were dead, but Laura and Spencer?"

"You need to keep your voice down," Nikolas whispered. "You're being watched."

She stared at him.

"And you can't call the police."

"What? Why?"

"They'll go after you. And no one can know I'm alive."

Alexis scoffed. "Do you know that everyone thinks Charlotte is imagining you? They think she lost it after Cassandra Pierce kidnapped her. Why would you tell her that you're her bodyguard?"

"Because I'm protecting her."

"From what?"

"Valentin."

"Valentin?" Alexis scrunched her face. "He may be pure Cassadine right down to the bone, but he spoils that girl and wouldn't hurt her. But even so, Spencer should be your priority, why aren't you protecting him?"

"Because he's safe with my mother. Safer than he'd be if I revealed myself. Charlotte is the one who's in danger."

"From Valentin? Why?"

He swallowed hard. "I can't tell you. And you have to promise me to not go to the police with what you know. And stop investigating this. The less you know, the better. And most of all, do _not _go to Cabot again. Because now that they know what you found out from Grandmother's portrait, they're not happy."

"Who is they?"

"I can't answer anymore questions. At this point they're just sending you warnings. As long as you don't find out more, you'll be safe."

"And if I do find out more?"

He stared at her hard. "You don't want to find out."

She huffed loudly. "And you're sure I'm safe? Because the kids—"

"Like I said, don't find out more information and you will be. And _don't_ tell _anyone_ what you know."

"But Julian and Sam could help."

"They'll be targeted if you tell them."

Alexis' stomach went hallow. "What about your mother and Spencer? They need you."

He shook his head. "That's not an option right now. They are safe for the time being. Now, go home and pretend you never saw me. Pretend you don't know a thing." He kissed her cheek and disappeared.

She leaned against her desk and looked at the framed pictures of her family. Goosebumps prickled her arms and she hugged herself.

Alexis made her way back to the parking lot and her eyes grew wide. The writing on her windshield was gone.

GHGHGH

When Alexis arrived home, Julian, Sam, and Lucas were sitting on the couch. She slowly unzipped her coat.

"Mom!" Sam jumped up and hugged her. "Why are you home so late?"

"I, uh… got caught up at the office," Alexis said softly.

"Why so tense, Lex?" Julian asked.

Alexis swallowed hard. "Just a little stressed with work."

"Well, come sit." Sam sat down and patted the spot beside her. "There's something Lucas and I have been wanting to talk to you and Dad about."

Alexis sat beside her. "Is everything all right?"

Sam nodded and looked at Lucas.

"We were going to wait a little longer, but we've been talking it over and we think if we do it sooner, it could help my case," Lucas said.

Sam held Julian and Alexis' hands and gave them a squeeze. "We are both so grateful for everything you've done these past six months for us, the kids…"

"But Sam and I can't keep taking advantage of you," Lucas continued.

Julian scrunched his face. "You're not taking advantage of us."

"But we can't live here forever," Sam said. "That's why Lucas and I are moving to a condo together."

"With Danny, Scout, and Wiley," Lucas said.

Alexis licked her dry lips.

"But the kids are doing so well here," Julian said. "And you both are too. We're a family!"

"And we always will be," Lucas said. "But we're in our 30s…"

"Well, technically I'll be 40 in May…" Sam said. "Which is crazy to me."

"It's time we get back out on our own," Lucas said.

"But there's lots of room here," Julian argued, his eyes actually welling with tears. "And Leo loves having his niece and nephews to play with."

Alexis stared at her lap.

"But it'll look better to the judge if he or she sees me as an independent adult," Lucas said. "Not dependent on his parents."

"We don't imagine living together for long," Sam said. "A year tops. But just to help each other get back on our feet."

"And the sooner we move the better," Lucas said.

"I agree," Alexis finally said.

Sam's mouth dropped slightly, and she locked eyes with Alexis. "I thought… I thought…"

"We thought you'd resist more than Dad," Lucas finished for her.

Nikolas' words _"They'll be targeted if you tell them."_ kept repeating in Alexis' head. Even though he said that she's probably safe right now, she couldn't risk putting them in danger. So, she said, "Lucas is right, it'll help his case."

"Lex, you're not helping…" Julian rubbed his chin and choked up a bit. "I knew it would happen eventually… but I don't want either of you to leave. This is the family none of us had."

Alexis fought the tears springing to her eyes, but she knew this had to happen. Sam wouldn't take her eyes off of her.

"When?" Julian asked.

"April first," Lucas said.

Julian's eyebrows furrowed. "Why so soon?"

"Because the hearing is in three weeks and we need to be settled by then," Lucas said.

Sam finally turned away from Alexis, her shoulders shrinking, as if hurt that her mother didn't show more emotion over her leaving. But Alexis' heart ached knowing that her daughter, stepson, and grandchildren, including Wiley, would be leaving her. And what pained her even more was that she wouldn't be fighting them on it.


	58. Chapter 58- Safety First

**Chapter 58- Safety First**

_Alexis stepped into the living room and Alessandro Marchesi held a gun to Sam's forehead. Next to them, Francesco stood over Julian's dead body. _

_Tears streamed down Alexis' face. "Julian! No…"_

_ "Why did you tell us?" Sam shouted. "Why didn't you protect us?"_

_ "I—I tried!" Alexis cried._

_ "Help!" Charlotte whimpered as Valentin held a knife to her throat. Just like Helena with her mother. "Where's my bodyguard? Where is he?"_

_ "I don't know! He disappeared again!"_

_ Bang!_

_ Blood splatted from Sam's head and she dropped to the floor._

_ "Nooo!" Alexis darted over but Alessandro clutched onto both her arms and threw her onto the couch. "No! No!"_

Alexis stirred awake in her office. How did she fall asleep? She glanced at her watch. 11:55am. Her chest moved up and down to the rhythm of her fast breathing. She lifted her phone from her desk. Two missed calls from Kristina and three missed calls from Molly with two voicemails. She dialed her voicemail and pressed her phone to her ear.

"Uh, Mom?" Kristina's voice muffled through. "I'm a bit worried, you haven't called me in two days. That's not really like you. Give me a shout."

Then Molly's voice appeared, slightly panicked. "Mom! What is going on? Are you okay? You usually call me a dozen times a day, but you haven't once in a few days! Call me or send me a text. I have something I need to tell you… Or maybe I'll call Sam, I'm really concerned."

When she hung up, the phone rang. Molly's name on the screen. After hesitating, she answered. "Hi sweetie."

Molly let out a heavy sigh. "Thank goodness. Mom, I was so worried…" she started crying. "I just thought…"

"Honey, I'm okay." Alexis raised an eyebrow, wondering why she was so emotional. "It's only been a couple days. I just have a lot on my mind right now…"

Molly sniffled. "I have something to tell you. Can we meet for lunch?"

Alexis swallowed hard. "Can you tell me now? I have a lot of work today."

Molly started crying again. "I don't want to over the phone. Please… can we meet at Kelly's, please?"

"Okay," Alexis said. "That should be okay."

GHGHGH

When Alexis arrived at Kelly's, Molly wasn't there yet. But Jason was sitting with Jake at a table. Alexis sat at the table next to theirs.

"Hey," Jason said. "How's Danny?"

Alexis nodded. "He's doing better than he was. But every day is a struggle."

_Ring_! _Ring_!

Jason pressed his phone to his ear. "Carly?"

Jake frowned and stared at his lap.

"Okay. Well, I can't right now. I'm spending time with Jake."

Jake's face lit up a bit.

"Yes. Yes, you're important to me too," Jason said. "Carly, calm down."

Alexis rolled her eyes.

"I'll be there in a couple hours. Yeah. After I drop off Jake. Okay, bye." He slipped his phone away. "So, how's school?"

Jake shrugged. "Fine."

"And things at home?"

"Well, Mom's engaged."

Jason stared at him for several seconds. "She is?"

"Yeah, to Ric. He asked her right after his daughter's wedding."

Jason took in a deep breath and exhaled quickly, then folded his hands. "And how do you feel about that?"

Jake shrugged. "I mean, he's nice and spends time with us. Aiden really likes him. But he liked Franco too."

"And do you like him?"

"I don't know. He reminds me of Franco. Not in personality or anything, but his intentions."

"What do you think his intentions are?"

"Well, it's more what Cam thinks," Jake said. "But I kind of, sort of, agree with him. He's trying to get close to us to impress Mom. Cam doesn't trust him."

"Do you trust him?"

Jake paused for a moment then said, "No. But I want Mom to be happy. I fell for Franco and I was wrong about him. So, I feel like I have a little more wisdom this time around."

"Well, you're a pretty sharp kid," Jason said softly. "And I'm going to be straight with you, like I was with Franco. I don't trust Ric either. If he ever makes you or your brothers uncomfortable, tell your mom or tell me. I will keep an eye on him, but I know it's your mom's choice. However, if he even tries to hurt you, I'll step in."

The door swung open and Molly walked in. "Mom!" She rushed over and hugged her.

"Hi sweetie." Alexis squeezed her tight.

Molly sat across from her and opened the menu, though she was looking at Alexis. "Gosh, don't scare me like that again. I never thought that I'd miss you calling so many times each day, even when I don't answer."

Alexis smiled slightly. "I'm sorry, Mol. How are you doing?"

"Well, Dad and Elizabeth got engaged."

"I just heard. How do you feel about that?"

"I like Elizabeth," Molly said. "I just…"

"What?"

"I'm still really hurt by Dad over what happened with Sam…"

Alexis squeezed her hand.

"I haven't really forgiven Dad. I mean, he was at my wedding and I'm glad he was. But how could he sleep with his stepdaughter? If he's capable of that then what else is he capable of?"

"I'm not going to turn you against your father. You need to form your own opinion of him. Only time I'd set in is if ever tried to hurt you intentionally." Alexis sighed. "So, was the engagement the thing you needed to tell me?"

Molly beamed, smiling from ear to ear, almost… glowing? "No. Mom… I'm pregnant. TJ and I are going to have a baby!"

Alexis' mouth dropped slightly, and her eyes welled with tears. "Oh, Molly!" She jumped up and wrapped her arms around her. "Oh, Molly, that's wonderful!"

"We are so excited!" Molly said as Alexis returned to her seat. "I already have some name ideas."

Alexis grinned. "Why doesn't that surprise me? Well, you did have a list of names when Sam was pregnant with Danny."

"Caspian or Heathcliff, for a boy. And Daisy for a girl."

"Only one girl name?"

"Well, Scout has always been my favourite girl name, and Sam accepted my suggestion for her daughter's name. Helps me to narrow it down."

Alexis scrunched her face. "I thought Danny picked Scout's name."

She shook her head. "Where do you think he heard that name before? Don't you remember when she was pregnant with Danny? Scout was on my list of suggestions. When Sam chose a different name for him, I devised a plan for her next child. I planted the bug in Danny's ear long before Sam ever got pregnant again. Hence, I named Scout."

"You sneaky little sneaker… but the name Daniel means a lot to Sam."

"I know," Molly said. "It was her brother's name."

"And I know you and TJ will choose a name that's important to both of you."

GHGHGH

When Alexis arrived home, Julian and Danny were playing checkers on the couch.

"Are you sure you're okay with moving out?" Julian asked. "Because if you want to stay, just tell your mom. Then maybe everyone will stay too."

Danny shrugged. "I don't know. I'll miss you and Leo and Grandma… so maybe I should."

"Julian?" Alexis cut in. "A word?"

Danny made his red piece hop over Julian's remaining black ones. Julian shook his hand. "You're good."

"I should go finish my homework," Danny said.

"Goodnight, Danny," Julian said.

Alexis stroked his hair as he walked by. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

She watched Danny hustle up the stairs, then turned her attention to Julian. "Using our grandson to try to get them to stay?"

"The better question is, why are _you_ not trying to get them to stay? I honestly thought you'd be the one fighting this. I thought it'd be easier for me to let them go."

Alexis sighed and sat down beside him, avoiding eye contact. "It's better for them this way."

"What is going on with you? You still seem tense and your lack of emotion over this… do you know that Sam has been crying the last couple evenings in her room while you've been stuck at work?"

Her heart sank. "She has?"

"She won't talk to me, but I heard her talking to Annabelle the second, she thinks you don't want her here."

Alexis placed a hand on her forehead. "I do want her here."

"Then tell her that… maybe she'll change her mind. Be sure to cry a bit too, that'll help."

She finally looked at him. "Julian, I want her to stay as much as you do… probably more… but you have to trust me on this. It is better for them if they leave."

"Why? I get being independent and all… but why are you so adamant about it? What aren't you telling me?"

"I just… I get it now… why you did what you did."

He stared at her hard, their eyes locked. "You mean Liv?"

She nodded, not losing eye contact, willing for him to figure it out. She repeated, "They have to leave."

He swallowed hard. "When they're gone and Leo's not here, you need to tell me what's going on."

Alexis kissed him firmly and mouthed, "I love you". Then she made her way upstairs to Sam's room. She was lying on her side, sound asleep. Alexis knelt beside her and squeezed her hand. "I do want you. But I have to keep you safe." She kissed her forehead. "I love you."


	59. Chapter 59- New Beginnings

**Chapter 59- New Beginnings**

The dreaded Saturday had arrived. Julian hadn't questioned Alexis again and he had stopped trying to persuade the kids to stay. He'd been quiet though, just like Alexis.

"It's not fair!" Leo kicked the coffee table as Julian, Sam, Lucas, and Danny carried out some boxes to the moving truck. Annabelle the second barked at him. "We're a family!"

Alexis knelt a little and squeezed his shoulders. "We'll always be a family no matter what. Whether we're together or not."

"Danny won't be on the top bunk anymore. And I won't have anyone to play with."

"Oh buddy, you're still going to see them lots," Alexis said.

"Yeah," Lucas said, walking back inside. "Maybe we can have weekly dinners or something."

Alexis nodded and smiled awkwardly.

Danny darted down the stairs with a box displaying _Danny—__Clothes_ on the side, and Scout trailed behind him carrying Dotty the dalmatian and a transparent pouch containing her sponges. She was pouting with her lower lip sticking out and walked over to Alexis.

"Danny said you're not coming," Scout said.

Alexis frowned and tucked some of Scout's hair behind her ears, then kept running her fingers through it. "No, Cookie. You're going to start a new adventure now with Mommy, Uncle Lucas, Danny, and Wiley."

"But I want you to come too."

"But this is your adventure and sometimes not everyone can go on the same adventure. But you know what?"

"What?" Scout asked.

She tapped her nose. "Grandma will always love you and she will always make sure that you're safe."

Scout set Dotty on the coffee table and unzipped her pouch. She pulled out the purple seahorse sponge and handed it to her. "This is for you, Grandma." Then she handed the green frog sponge to Leo.

"Awe, Cookie," Alexis said. "These are your special sponges. Don't you want to take them with you?"

"But it will make you remember me," Scout said.

"Oh Scout." Alexis wrapped her arms around her and kissed her forehead. "There is _nothing_ that would make me stop remembering you. You and Grandma… we have a special bond, and _nothing_ will break that bond. But Grandma will cherish this sponge."

"Well, I think that's the last of it," Lucas said, holding Wiley in his arms and standing in the doorway with Julian, Sam, and Danny.

Danny walked over to Alexis and hugged her. "Thank you, Grandma. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, sweet boy," Alexis said. "I love you."

He sauntered over to Julian and hugged him too.

Scout walked up to Julian and handed him the red crab sponge. "For you Grandpa. But I wanna keep my pink dolphin. It's my favourite special sponge."

Julian hugged her. "A special sponge from a special princess."

"I truly appreciate everything you've done and still do for me and Wiley." Lucas kissed Alexis' cheek. "You're a second mom to me."

Alexis smiled sadly and placed a hand on Wiley's cheek.

"Hi Gamma," Wiley said smiling.

Danny and Leo did a homey handshake, then hugged each other. "Let's have a sleepover sometime," Danny said. Then he picked up Annabelle the second in his arms.

Julian started crying when Lucas hugged him. They held onto each other for almost a minute. "I love you, son."

"I love you too, Dad."

"I'll help you with your last box to the car," Julian said.

They walked outside and Danny took Scout's hand following behind.

"Can I watch from the porch?" Leo asked.

Alexis nodded and he ran after the others.

Sam smiled slightly. "I guess this is it. Thank you for everything. All your help with the kids and such."

Alexis' eyes welled with tears and she bolted over to Sam and threw her arms around her. Both of them sobbed in each other's arms without uttering a word for a few minutes. Then Alexis finally said, "I don't want you to leave. I want you with me… always. I don't want things to change… but they have to."

"I know. I don't want to leave either, but it has to happen…"

"Carry me in your heart and always feel my arms around you when I'm not with you." She kissed the top of her head several times, then her cheeks, and finally her forehead. "I love you. I never knew that anyone could ever matter so much to me until you were born. You and your sisters are my true loves."

They squeezed each other tightly, then Sam let go, but still clutching hand. "I love you, Mom."

Alexis gave Sam's hand a soft squeeze. "I love you too, sweetie."

Their hands parted and Sam kept looking back as she left. Alexis dropped on the couch and buried her face in her hands, tears spilling from her eyes.

GHGHGH

Monday came quickly, like it always does, which meant Leo would be back with Olivia and their nest would really be empty. But it would also give Alexis the chance to talk to Julian that night… if it was the right thing to do, she wasn't sure. She did know carrying this around with her was eating her up inside and he'd probably know a way to fix this. Besides, she made him promise to always come to her with the big things and she knew she had to return the favour.

She was on her way out of Kelly's and ran smack into Carly spilling her coffee over her shirt.

Carly's mouth grew wide, her lips grey and she looked thin. "_Watch where you're going_!"

Alexis sighed and handed her a few napkins. "It was an accident, Carly."

"Yes, everything is just an _accident_ with you. Well, by this time tomorrow, Wiley will be mine and Sonny's."

Alexis scrunched her face. "_Tomorrow_?"

"Yes, I just got the call. Didn't you? They bumped the hearing up to tomorrow."

Alexis pulled her phone out. Missed calls from the Port Charles Courthouse, Lucas, and Diane. She groaned.

"What? Caught you by surprise?" Carly sneered. "I think it's perfect. Diane has built a good case. But then again, she doesn't need to try. She's a way better lawyer than you are." She nudged her shoulder then headed into Kelly's.

GHGHGH

Alexis sat at her desk, staring at her laptop. She'd been going over Lucas' case all day. She couldn't let her sweet grandson be taken from his daddy, especially not by the town jezebel.

Julian finally arrived home and sat on the couch, patting the spot beside her. "Come sit, Lex. We need to talk."

Alexis sighed. "I know, but the case is tomorrow…"

"You'll still have time to work on it, but you need to stop putting off talking to me. Now what is going on?"

Alexis turned her head side to side, as if expecting someone to be standing in the corner listening, then headed over to the couch.

"You said you get why I did what I did…" Julian looked at her intently. "Now why did you think it was best for our kids to leave?"

Alexis cleared her throat, then spoke barely above a whisper. "I am being watched."

"By who?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. But I've been receiving warnings. Nikolas said it's because I know too much."

He scrunched his face. "Nikolas? Know too much about what?"

"Nikolas is alive and is caught up in something. He wouldn't tell me much. But that codicil that was hiding in Helena's portrait wasn't a codicil at all… it was plans to take over Port Charles. I have it in my desk at work. But it mentioned Patients 1-6 and said Ric, Brenda, Courtney, and Lucky failed."

"Who's Courtney and Brenda?"

"Courtney was Sonny's sister and Spencer's mother, but she died. Brenda was an old flame of Sonny and Jax."

He scratched his chin. "So, three of them are connected to Sonny. Why is Lucky mixed in?"

She shrugged. "Helena and most of the Cassadines hated the Spencers. But I don't know why he'd be listed with the others."

"Maybe it'd be best if Leo stays with Olivia until we sort this out."

"I'm just afraid what they'll do to you if they find out you know. But I had to tell you."

He squeezed her hand. "I'm glad you did. You shouldn't be carrying this on your own. I'll look into it but try not to worry."

_Try not to worry_. Easier said than done.


	60. Chapter 60- In the Matter of Wiley

**Chapter 60- In the Matter of Wiley**

Alexis rolled over in bed and looked at her alarm clock: 9am. She bolted upright and shook Julian. "We slept in! We need to wake the kids!" She sighed, remembering. "Never mind. They're not here."

Julian sat up and wrapped an arm around her. "I thought the same thing yesterday. I miss them too."

"The house is so empty. I hate it."

"Me too. But on the bright side, the hearing isn't until 3. I need to stop by the firm before that and I know you want to go over the case… but there's really no rush. Maybe we should take advantage."

Alexis smiled slightly and placed a hand on his cheek. "I do like the sound of that."

He leaned forward and kissed her softly. "How about the morning in bed? Just focus on us. Forget about everything else, just for this morning. Then we'll get back out there to our responsibilities."

She grinned and began to unbutton his pajama top. "I love you, you silly man."

"I love you more, Lex." He left a trail of kisses up her arm, then pressed his mouth to her neck. He slipped his hand under the shoulder of her sleeve.

She ripped off his shirt and touched his bare chest, then wrapped her arms around him. They rolled over so she was on top of him and she pulled off her nightgown, then leaned forward and kissed him.

GHGHGH

Alexis sat in the courtroom going over Lucas' file as he paced back and forth, chewing his fingernails.

"Lucas, you're a good father and the judge is going to see that," Alexis reassured. "Carly doesn't have a chance."

The doors swung open, and Carly wobbled in with Jason, Sonny, and Diane. She teetered over a bit, but Jason grabbed her arm. She turned around and glared at him. "I'm fine!" She came over to Alexis and Lucas. Her nostrils flared and her blood-shot eyes narrowed in on Lucas. "I tried to be fair to you, but you still kept my grandson from me. Now, you won't have a place in his life at all."

Lucas' eyebrows furrowed. "Carly, are you okay? You don't look well."

She laughed. "Gonna use that against me, are you?"

"No, but I'm a little concerned," Lucas said. "You're really thin."

Carly pointed a shaky finger at him. "Wiley is mine." She turned to Alexis. "And Danny and Scout are next. If Jason and Michael won't fight for what's theirs, then I will."

"Carly, please," Bobbie's voice entered the room before she did. "Drop this before you make a fool out of yourself. Don't do this to your brother."

"I see who's side you're taking," Carly said.

"In this case, I'm on Wiley's side," Bobbie said. "He needs both of his fathers and Michael and Lucas have already come to an agreement that works."

Carly laughed. "An agreement where Wiley is always at Lucas' and rarely with Michael or me?"

"Wiley is gradually spending more time with Michael. But enough about Wiley… what is going on with you? You are not well at all."

"I am fine," Carly said through gritted teeth.

The doors opened again, and Julian, Sam, Kristina, and Molly walked in. Julian and Sam came over to Alexis and Lucas.

"Spinelli and Maxie are picking up the kids from school and daycare," Sam said. "You've got this."

Lucas smiled slightly. "Thanks. I'm glad you're here."

Julian patted his back. "We wouldn't be anywhere else."

Michael and Willow slipped inside and sat with Jason and Sonny.

The bailiff finally walked in. "Please rise for the honourable Judge Lasser."

Everyone returned to their seats, still standing, as Judge Lasser took her position. "This court is assigned in the matter of Wiley Morgan Corinthos-Jones. This hearing was requested by the plaintiff, Caroline Corinthos against the child's adoptive father, Dr. Lucas Jones, who currently holds full custody of Wiley. Ms. Diane Miller will be representing Mrs. Corinthos and Ms. Alexis Davis will be representing . Ms. Miller, your opening statement?"

"Thank you, your honour." Diane rose. "My client, Mrs. Corinthos, is very concerned with the welfare of her grandson, Wiley. On the day of his birth, his biological mother, Janelle Benson, and Bradley Cooper switched him with a dead child, hereby forcibly removing him from his biological father and loving-devoted family of which he belongs. He was placed in the home of Dr. Jones and Mr. Cooper and my client and her son didn't discover who he was until over a year later. The devastation that my client's family felt over missing Wiley's first year of life, and now that has turned into almost two years, is unthinkable. My client and her family were victims through all of this. Now you'll say Dr. Jones was a victim in this too, but I will prove that is not true. Dr. Jones is an unfit father."

Gasps filled the courtroom and Lucas looked at Alexis with his mouth slightly agape. Carly looked over at them, smugly.

"Thank you, your honour." Diane sat back down.

"Ms. Davis, your opening statement?" the judge said.

"Thank you, your honour." Alexis rose. "My client, Dr. Jones, was a victim too, despite Ms. Miller's claims. He and Mr. Cooper planned on adopting a child and my client never even met the child they originally adopted because Ms. Benson and Mr. Cooper deceived him and Mr. Corinthos by switching the infants. Lucas raised Wiley from day one and they grew a close bond. He has always provided him with a safe-loving environment and goes above and beyond his basic needs. Wiley attends daycare three days a week, where he is socialized with other children, and is with grandparents two days a week while Lucas is working. Lucas is who Wiley calls Daddy. His face lights up when he comes into the room. When Lucas discovered the truth about the baby switch, he went right to Mr. Corinthos to tell him, when he could have easily kept it to himself. And upon learning his husband's part in the switch, he took Wiley to a safe place."

"Oh sure, claim that your house is a safe place!" Carly interrupted. "It most definitely is not sa—"

"Mrs. Corinthos." The judge glared at her. "You are out of line. Continue, Ms. Davis."

"My client and Mr. Corinthos came to the agreement that Lucas remains the primary caregiver, but eventually they would have joint custody. They agreed that this would be in Wiley's best interest. Your honour, my client is a good father. Wiley feels safe and loved by him. If he were to be removed from his father, it would destroy his entire world. He belongs with his daddy. Thank you, your honour." She returned to her seat.

"Ms. Miller, your first witness?" the judge asked.

"Yes, your honour, I'd like to call up Michael Corinthos the third," Diane said, walking up.

Michael took a seat at the stand.

"Mr. Corinthos, would you say that Mrs. Corinthos was a good mother to you and your brother growing up?"

He nodded. "Yeah she was great. Perfect balance between nurturing and a fun mom. We did a lot of cool things with her."

"And do you think she would be that way with your son if she were to win custody?"

"Well, yeah, but—"

"So, you're saying that she would provide a fun yet nurturing environment for Wiley?"

"Yeah, but—"

"And can you confirm to the courts how devastated you were to learn that you missed over a year of your son's life?" Diane asked.

"Yeah, I was pretty devastated."

"And do you wish that you could have your son full time?"

He paused for a moment, then said. "Yeah, I do. But—"

"No further questions, your honour." Diane headed back to her seat.

"But more than that—" Michael continued.

"Mr. Corinthos, Ms. Miller's questioning is over," the judge interrupted.

"I want what's best for Wiley!" he finished anyway.

Alexis walked over to the stand. "Mr. Corinthos, you said you want what's best for Wiley. What do you think that is?"

He sighed. "Staying with Lucas. But for him to also know that I'm there for him always."

She nodded. "You also said that your mother provided a fun and nurturing environment for you and your brother… but she kept you from your father, Alan Quartermaine Jr., is that correct?"

He paused.

"_Objection, your honour_!" Carly bolted to her feet.

"_Carly stop_!" Diane grabbed her arm, then stood up herself. "Objection, your honour. That is irrelevant and was a different situation."

"Overruled. Ms. Davis, you may continue."

Diane and Carly sat back down.

"Is it true that your mother kept you from your father, Alan Quartermaine Jr.?" Alexis repeated.

He nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"And do you think she was justified in doing so?"

His face paled. "I don't know."

"And do you think Dr. Jones is trying to keep Wiley from you?" Alexis asked.

He shook his head. "No. He wants what's best for Wiley too."

"So, Mrs. Corinthos claims that Wiley should be with his birth father, whom he doesn't know as his father, yet she kept her son from his birth father. Mr. Corinthos, you even agree that Wiley should be with his adoptive father." She turned to the judge. "I don't see why we need to continue here."

"Objection, your honour," Diane cut in. "I still have another witness to call."

"Sustained. Ms. Davis, any further questions?" the judge asked.

"No, your honour."

"Mr. Corinthos, you may step down," the judge said.

Alexis and Michael returned to their seats.

"Your honour," Diane said, rising once more. "I would like to call Samantha McCall to the stand.

Alexis' eyes grew wide and she watched Sam as she approached the stand.

"Ms. McCall," Diane said. "Is it true that you and your brother, Dr. Jones, have recently moved in together and plan to raise your children together?"

"Temporarily, yes," Sam said.

"And is it true, you were recently in prison for the murder of David Henry Archer?"

"Objection, your honour," Alexis cut in. "That was self-defense."

"Sustained."

Diane cleared her throat. "But you have a bigger track record than that, correct? You used several aliases to con men in the past."

"Objection, your honour," Alexis said again. "That was the past and Ms. McCall has made several changes in her life.

"I'll allow it," the judge said.

Diane smiled. "Is it true that you used many aliases to marry rich men and steal their money in the past?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

"And is it true that you killed one of them too?"

"Objection, your honour," Alexis said. "She's badgering the witness."

"Overruled."

Alexis groaned.

"Yes, I killed one of them," Sam said. "But that was self-defense too. He was beating me up."

"And is it true your ex-husband is a hitman?"

"He's a coffee importer."

"Your honour…" Diane turned to the judge. "I think this is proof that Dr. Jones is an unfit father. First he married a man who was involved in the kidnapping of a child and now he and Wiley are living with a woman who could endanger them both. I think his poor judgment is proof that he is an unfit father. No further questions, your honour." She returned to her seat.

Alexis rose. "Sam, would you say your brother is a good father?"

She nodded. "He's great with Wiley."

"And do you think they're safe living with you?"

"Yeah. I'd never intentionally hurt them."

"And is it true that you've repented of your past crimes and you're even in therapy sessions with Dr. Kevin Collins?"

"Yes."

"And is it true that Wiley and your children, Daniel and Emily, get along well?"

"Yeah, they love each other."

"Do you believe that you and Lucas can provide a safe-loving environment?"

"Yes, I do."

Alexis smiled. "No further questions, your honour."

Alexis and Sam returned to their seats.

"I think I've gathered enough information," the judge said. "Dr. Jones appears to have always provided a safe home for the child and has shown that he will protect him and put him first even if that means leaving his spouse. Therefore, I rule in favour of Dr. Lucas Jones."

Lucas and Alexis exchanged wide smiles.

"I grant him full custody of Wiley Corinthos-Jones with the suggestion that he keeps his birth father part of his life. Case dismissed."

Lucas hugged Alexis tightly. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Julian and Bobbie came over and hugged him.

Sam patted his back. "Way to go, bro. I was worried when I received a subpoena last minute."

Carly stormed over to them. "You think you're going to get away with this!?"

"Come, on, Mom, stop." Michael tried to pull her arm, but she yanked it away.

"Wiley is Michael's son and _my _grandson!"

"Carly, let's go," Jason said. "Let's go check on Avery and Donna."

Carly glared at Alexis. "This is all your fault—_Ahhh_." She keeled over, cradling her head in her hands. Jason and Michael knelt beside her.

"Help! Somebody help!" Alexis whipped her head around. Kristina had her arm around Sonny who had his hands pressed over his eyes. "Dad has gone blind!"

Alexis' mouth dropped and she turned back to Carly.

"I can't see anything!" Carly shouted out. "_I can't see_!"

GHGHGH

After Sonny and Carly were rushed away by ambulances and Bobbie, Jason, Michael, and Kristina followed after them, Julian and Alexis piled into their car.

"Okay, what is going on?" Alexis said exasperated.

Julian opened his mouth to respond when his phone rang. "Hello? Monica?"

_Ding_. Alexis pulled out her phone. One text message from Unknown Number. She opened it: _You shouldn't have told_. Her mouth hung open.

"_What_? Leo? Is he okay? Okay, we'll be right there." He hung up. "That was Monica. There was a shooting at the mansion."

"_What_?"

"Leo's fine. Ned was out with him some place. But Olivia is dead."

GH

A/N: I like Olivia, but this is for plot purposes and so Leo can be with Julexis full time. If you like Olivia too, please don't hate me.


	61. Chapter 61- Taken

Wow, so sadly, there is only one more chapter after this. I am hoping it leaves you wanting more in a sequel. I'm pumped about it and hope I do it justice. Lots of revelations will be happening in the final chapter, so fasten your seatbelts.

**Chapter 61-Taken**

Alexis and Julian picked up Leo from Monica and decided to spend the night at Ava's in case their house was being watched. Leo was quiet during the ride home and Alexis wasn't sure how to help him through this. Police guards were already stationed around apartment building and in front of Ava's door. Alexis was informed Sam and Lucas would have guards at their place too. Ava greeted them at the door. They walked inside and Leo plopped down on the couch.

"Monica said Mom died," Leo said. "Is it true?"

Alexis frowned, standing next to Ava.

Julian knelt in front of him and squeezed his hand. "I'm so sorry, buddy. She's in Heaven now."

Tears began to stream down Leo's cheeks, and he clung onto Julian, who rubbed his back.

Alexis sat on the couch and gave Leo's shoulder a soft squeeze.

"I don't want her to be in Heaven. I want her here with me," Leo cried.

"She will always be with you, Leo," Alexis said. "She'll always be in your heart and go with you wherever you go."

"That's right," Julian said. "She's watching down on you like a guardian angel."

"It's not fair…" Leo said.

"I know, buddy," Julian said. "I know. But you have me, you have Lex, your brothers, your sister. Even Ned. You have a lot of people who love you."

"Leo, do you want to go lay down in Avery's bed?" Ava asked.

He nodded.

"I'll show you there." Ava took his hand and led him to one of the bedrooms.

Alexis rubbed her temples. "What have I done?"

Julian scrunched his face. "What are you talking about?"

"I shouldn't have told you."

"But they have to be stopped."

"They were more than likely targeting Leo, not Olivia," Alexis said. "But still, Olivia is innocent. Now Leo and Dante are left without their mother."

"Lex…" He wrapped his arms around her. "Look at you, your shaking. This wasn't your fault. If they didn't kill Olivia, they would have killed someone else. You can't blame yourself."

"We can't tell anyone else… I don't want them killing one of our kids."

"That's not going to happen. I'll figure this out."

GHGHGH

After a long day at work, Alexis went down to the docks and stared out at the water. At least daylight savings time made it lighter in the evening now. Her fear of the water paled in comparison to losing any one in her family. She shouldn't have told Julian. She should have just left town. Or find Nikolas and hideout with him. It was her fault Olivia was dead and now Leo would grow up without a mother.

Weeping sounds drew her attention. Charlotte was running past her crying.

"Charlotte?" Alexis reached for her arm to stop her. "Are you all right?"

She shook her head.

"What's wrong?"

"Papa is angry."

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "At you?"

"No… well, sort of. But mostly at my bodyguard."

"Nikolas?"

She nodded.

"Did he hurt you? Or Nikolas?"

"No."

"Why is he angry with you and Nikolas?"

She turned her head side to side, then whispered. "Because we know things. But he made me promise not to tell."

Alexis knelt a little to her level. "Is your Papa here with you?"

"No. I ran from him. Nikolas told me to run."

"Where did you run from?"

"I don't know exactly," Charlotte said. "It looked like a warehouse. But lots of people were there in hospital beds."

"Hospital beds?"

Her eyes welled with fresh tears. "Papa will be angry. Don't tell him I told you."

"I won't…" Alexis wrapped her arms around her. "I won't, it's okay. Do you know where your mom is?"

"Probably at home."

"Okay, why don't I take you home to her?"

"Okay." She took Alexis' hand.

_Ring_. _Ring_.

Alexis pressed her phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Lex, it's me," Lucas' voice came through. "I'm a bit worried. Both the daycare and Danny's school called. Sam didn't show and she was supposed to pick up the kids. That was over two hours ago. Danny is sitting with the janitor and the daycare is closing soon."

"What? Did you try calling Sam?"

"Yeah, it goes straight to voicemail. I can't get away from work. Steve was here and he got the same call. Elizabeth didn't show to pick up her boys or her niece. Hayden is out of town, so the hospital let Steve leave."

"Okay, can you please call Kristina or Molly to get the kids? I need to get a hold of your father."

"Yeah, definitely. Keep me posted if you track down Sam."

One hand still holding Charlotte's, she went to press on Julian's name in the contacts, when someone ripped her phone out of her hand and hurled it into the water.

Heart pounding, Alexis slowly turned her head and she was face to face with Morgan Corinthos pointing a gun at her. Charlotte clung onto her side.

"Morgan, please don't do this," Alexis said softly. "Please, put the gun away and I'll take you home to your family."

He started to laugh. "To my family?" Then he started yelling and crying at the same time. "They don't care about me. Michael is their golden child."

Alexis swallowed hard. "Your sister, Kristina. She misses you. She loves you."

"She's all about Michael too."

"Not Molly. She adores you. You two were always close growing up. Do you remember singing _ABC _with her at Jake's?"

He glared at her, face tense. "The boss is angry with you."

"Marchesi?"

"One of them."

"Please, you don't need to do this. Your family does love you and they want you back."

"_Would you just shut up_!" His hand gripping the gun started shaking. "I have a new family now and they made me promises. Sonny and Michael and all of them will be _my_ servants! I will be the one with power."

"And you're certain you can trust them?"

"I said, _shut up_!" He banged her hard over the head and she keeled over, hearing Charlotte scream before losing consciousness.

GHGHGH

"Mom? _Mom_?" She could hear Sam's voice in the distance. Alexis squinted her eyes, everything a blur. She tried lifting her left hand to rub her eyes, but both arms were restrained at the wrists.

"Mom!" Sam repeated.

Her vision slowly started to clear. She was lying on a stretcher. High tech machines on either side of her with an IV connected to her arm. She was in a large room in a warehouse. Two rows of beds on either side of her, as though she were sitting at the head of a table.

Sonny was restrained in the bed furthest from her on the right, a large #1 posted at the foot of his bed. Carly was beside him, #2 posted at the end of her bed. Elizabeth was on the other side of her, #3 posted to her bed.

Sam, her beautiful Sam, was lying on the bed closest to her on her left, #4 posted at the end of her bed. Alexis gasped… Drew was lying on the bed next to Sam, very much alive, with #5 posted to his bed. On the other side of him was Jason with a #6 at the foot of the bed.

Morgan walked through the doors. "See boss. I got her."

Carly gasped. "Morgan!"

Peter August and a sixty-something bald man walked in followed by Dr. Cabot and Valentin.


	62. Chapter 62- Patients 1-6

Hi everyone, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. Okay, so this was going to be the last chapter, but I've decided to split it into two. It's longer than I was anticipating, and I'm heading out soon. I don't want to leave you on that cliffhanger any longer. I'm having trouble with the history prior to 2003 but Chrissyfan has been a huge help. So, I'm hoping all of this adds up and makes sense. Remember, this is anti-Jasam and I'm destroying them to the core lol, so be warned.

**Chapter 62- Patients 1-6**

"Well, our guest of honour has finally arrived," Valentin said, locking eyes with Alexis.

Alexis tugged on the restraints rubbing against her wrists and ankles.

The bald man grinned and walked over to Alexis' bed, adjusting his necktie. "Ales-sandro was right-a, you are voiry beautifool-a." He began stroking her hair and Alexis jolted her head back.

"_Get away from her_!" Sam shouted, fighting her restraints.

"Ah," he said, moving over to Sam.

"Sam! Be quiet…" Alexis said through gritted teeth.

"Tis moost be de daughtoi-a." He reached his hand towards her cheek.

"Don't touch her!" Drew yelled from the bed next to Sam's.

"I swear," Alexis said. "If you lay one finger on my daughter…"

He pulled his hand back.

"Salvatore," Valentin interrupted. "I realize you've never been able to control your hormones, but let's stay on subject, shall we?"

Salvatore groaned but nodded.

"Morgan, you're alive!" Carly said.

"We've missed you, son," Sonny said.

Morgan cleared his throat. "How soon do we do it, boss?"

"Patience, Morgan," Valentin said. "We need to speak to my sister about her meddling first."

"It's not all about Alexis though," Peter said.

"No, but she's been interfering even long before you and I took over the cause," Valentin said.

"What cause?" Sonny asked.

"Took ovoi-a?" Salvatore furrowed his eyebrows, ignoring Sonny. "Aftoi 'Elena and Cesarrr died-a, de cause became mine. You bambini are simply as-sisting me."

"Right…" Valentin rolled his eyes at Peter.

"Are you going to tell us what's going on here?" Elizabeth asked.

Valentin smiled, looking at Alexis again. "Natasha, let me introduce to you to patients 1-6."

"What hell are you talking about!?" Carly shouted.

Jason scrunched his face. "Besides me and Drew, no one else here are twins."

"Yeah, wasn't this a twin experiment?" Drew asked.

"Dr. Cabot," Valentin said. "Would you like to explain?"

Dr. Cabot nodded. "When Mrs. Cassadine originally approached me, I had been studying twins and had come up with my theory of mind mapping. She hired me and requested I experiment on two sets of twins to ensure this would work."

"Enter Alex and Anna, and Ryan and Kevin," Peter said.

"Exactly," Dr. Cabot said. "The experiment consisted of transferring specific memories between the patients and it was a success. Mrs. Cassadine along with Mr. Faison and Mr. Marchesi, had already drawn plans for mind control in the city of Port Charles. It would take years and even decades for this plan to fall into place. Between my memory mapping discovery and Faison's hypnosis skills, we would find the likely candidates to be the patients." He turned to Sonny. "Patient 1 was the easiest to find. The Counterfeit Leader."

Sonny stared at him.

"Ah, yes," Valentin said. "Our stepmother needed a leader. One who could charm the ladies, someone who was already in a position of power, and who could deceive many people into following him and his ways of thinking."

Alexis' mouth dropped slightly.

"Now Patient 1 required minimal mind mapping," Dr. Cabot continued. "He was Mr. Faison's focus. My only duty with him was sedatives to make the hypnosis go more smoothly and to erase any memories that interrupted the cause. Patient 1 would be a crime boss and lead others into submission and into the belief that he holds true wisdom. He would turn many against all other authority. It was quite simple and with the exception of the few times he planned to leave the mob, he has worked right into the plan.

"And Patient 2… The Authoritarian…" He turned to Carly, who spat at him, and he smiled. "Mrs. Corinthos isn't the original Patient 2. The likely candidate would be Patient 1's right hand. Though it would appear that Patient 6 was… Patient 2 would do the dictating."

"Sounds more like Alexis to me!" Carly glared at Alexis.

Alexis rolled her eyes.

"Patient 2 would round everyone up for the cause…" Dr. Cabot continued. "Not only would she offer up her own children but bring in outsiders as well. The more children raised for the cause, the easier the mind control for the future. The original candidate was one by the name of Brenda Barrett."

Carly started laughing. "Are any of you actually believing this nonsense?"

"The mind mapping for Patient 2 was very tricky and unique. It would involve emotions rather than specific memories. All of her passion would be a drive to control everyone and everything around her. Her purpose would be to build a family with Patient 1 and for that family to keep multiplying. Ms. Barrett, whom Patient 1 was involved with when we started, failed the procedure. She didn't have enough of the dictatorship in her to begin with for this to be successful. I was able to erase her memory of the procedures and Mr. Faison convinced her through hypnosis to move on. It was quite difficult when she and Patient 1 reunited, but we eventually did another procedure on both of them and erased their memory of it.

"Enter Mrs. Corinthos." Dr. Cabot smiled. "Who was already controlling and obnoxious by nature. We studied her for a while, and she was already willing to bring her son into the mob life. The procedure started off slowly and was a success until she separated from Patient 1 and was with other men. And when her son was shot into a coma, she kept Morgan from Patient 1 for a year. We had planned to do another procedure on her, but she willingly offered up Morgan again anyway. Eventually we were able to bring Patients 1 and 2 together again and she even offered up her daughter to the cause. Two years ago, I did another procedure on her and it was the strongest one yet. It's as though her domineering attitude has multiplied a hundred-fold."

"Says _you_!" Carly gritted her teeth. "Jason, do something! Get me out of here!"

"Now," Dr. Cabot continued. "Patients 3, 4, 5, and 6 are interrelated."

Alexis looked over at Sam who was exchanging a look with Elizabeth, and Drew.

"Patient 6, the bondsman, was taken in by Patient 1 shortly after his car accident. It was quite easy at first and there wasn't much we needed to do," Dr. Cabot said. "He was a blank slate looking for belonging. Patient 1, and soon enough Patient 2, were able to get him to follow them. We began watching him with Robin Scorpio. She was no threat. We didn't seem to need to bring her in for a procedure either. Eventually they broke up. At one point he left the crime life to run a bike shop. This was when we started the procedures on him. Mr. Faison managed to convince him, through hypnosis, to return to working for Patient 1 and would do his bidding, as well as for Patient 2, and would do whatever they asked. There was a flaw though…" He turned to Elizabeth. "He wanted more outside of the cause. While Miss Webber expressed no objection to the mob life at first, 6 confided to 1 he wanted to leave to be with Miss Webber because he was in love with her. And she with him."

Elizabeth looked over at Jason. "But we barely knew each other before our one-night stand when we conceived Jake…"

Dr. Cabot smiled again. "I will come to that soon. We erased 1 and 6's conversation from their memories. But every time he would see Miss Webber, it would spark his emotions. That is when I discovered the defect in my mind mapping procedures. When one spends too much time away from the cause or something triggers their emotions or their muscle memories kick in, the mind control will slowly dissipate. That is when we needed Patient 3 and 4. Miss Webber became Patient 3, the Forbidden Love. We needed to keep them apart because we needed the Bondsman to keep on track with the cause and whomever he was with needed to fit with the plan, especially when 3 became pregnant with his child."

"But Jake came later…" Elizabeth said scrunching her face.

"Ah, but you and 6 were together before that. And that was the first time I not only deleted memories but created new ones. Mrs. Cassadine, Mr. Faison, Mr. Marchesi, and I were in conference. While we needed children to be raised for the cause, we saw this one as a threat. That is why Mrs. Cassadine suggested to create a memory of 3 having intercourse with Mr. Smith."

"_What_?" Elizabeth stared at him.

"Mr. Smith didn't need a procedure done," Dr. Cabot continued. "He was on and off drugs and seemed to think that night happened regardless. And 3 decided to raise the child with Mr. Lansing, so that was taken care of."

"You're saying that Cameron is my son?" Jason asked, then looked at Elizabeth.

Carly groaned. "He's lying!"

The colour drained from Elizabeth's face. "His blue eyes… his hair turned so blonde…"

Jason cleared his throat. "My liver… I was his match…"

"As lovely as this sentiment is," Valentin interrupted. "You will forget this by the end of the day, and we have more to get through."

"Yes," Dr. Cabot said. "So, we needed a Patient 4. A False love who would fit into the plan."

Alexis looked over at Sam, who was avoiding eye contact with everyone and looking sullen.

"The likely candidate, as with 6, would be searching to belong," Dr. Cabot said. "Patient 4 would fight dirty for what she wants. 6 would become everything to her and she would accept never coming first in his life. The cause would consume them. Patient 4 would be Patient 1's sister, Miss Matthews. She seemed the likely prospect being connected to three of the patients already. But she failed the first three procedures. Mrs. Cassadine needed a back-up plan. She'd been in contact with the McCalls since her husband gave his illegitimate granddaughter to them and she kept a close watch on her growing up to ensure she was always treated less than a Cassadine would be."

Tears welled in Alexis' eyes. If Helena were alive, she'd kill her. Sam lowered her gaze.

"But then she had use for her," Dr. Cabot continued. "She planted the bug to her that a rich man named Jasper Jax was searching for the Dead Man's Hand. Mrs. Cassadine's exact words to me were: 'I've lured Natasha's dirty spawn to town, and she will be the new 4. What better way to hurt my poor excuse of a stepdaughter's severed line?'. She played perfectly into Mrs. Cassadine's hand. She tried to con Mr. Jax and then Patient 1 with no success. 1 moved her onto 6, just as we planned, and she fell for him with no procedures necessary."

"You monsters!" Sam shouted.

He grinned. "It wasn't until she started searching for her birth mother that Mrs. Cassadine grew concerned. And even more so when they reunited in the hospital. That was when we planned to start a procedure. Ms. Davis had already interfered with the cause in the past when she kept 1's daughter from him. So, we would remove 4 from the hospital, but when Ms. Davis moved her to another facility…" He glared at her. "We couldn't find her right away."

Alexis gawked at him.

Sam gasped. "So, she actually protected me from this procedure unknowingly?"

He nodded. "And as Mrs. Cassadine predicted, she kept trying to keep you and 6 apart. Later on, we were finally able to do a procedure on you, 3, and 6. It was small at first. We began by inserting memories of 3 and 6 together into your brain but you would believe you were 3 in those memories. And in turn, you replaced 3 in 6's memories of those moments. And, those memories were erased from 3."

"You're sick!" Sam shouted.

"Sam, please… try to be quiet!" Alexis instructed.

"So, you used Sam and her emotions," Elizabeth said. "All to keep me and Jason apart for your gain?"

"It was not an easy task," Dr. Cabot said.

Valentin grinned. "But it's been working."


	63. Chapter 63- Patient 7

Hi everyone. So, sadly, this is the last chapter. But the good news is I'm going ahead with a sequel where we'll switch to Sam's POV. Thank you to all who have stuck by me and I hope you'll continue to the sequel. Enjoy!

**Chapter 63- Patient 7**

Alexis sighed heavily. Her heart ached for Sam. How Helena could watch Sam grow up that way and even enable it, then use her for this sick mind mapping game… this was a new low, even for her. She could see a few tears springing to Sam's eyes, but she was also clenching her jaw and balling her hands into fists.

"How could you do something like that?" Elizabeth asked. "What kind of sick monster are you?"

"Dr. Cabot, continue," Valentin said. "We have a lot of work to do today. I want Natasha to hear it before we move on."

"Yes, so because of the flaw also known as Patient 3, we needed a spare. Patient 5 would be a back-up plan to the Bondsman. He would fulfill the duties required by 1 and 2, should 6 get distracted. The original Patient 5 was Mr. Lucas Spencer Jr. It seemed at first the procedure was a success. He pushed away his loved ones, however, it wore off quickly and too many people figured it out before he could join the mob. With too much public knowledge, we considered him a fail. The second Patient 5 was Richard Lansing. He seemed promising at first due to his obsession of his brother, Patient 1. His sociopathic behavior would be an asset to the cause as long as it were to be kept on the down low. None of our procedure attempts worked, however. He simply seemed too bitter towards 1 and was obsessed with 3 as well. Alas, we erased his memories of the procedures and let him be. Though he was a failed patient, he has proven to be an asset at times in keeping 3 from 6. Which then we decided through hypnosis, to encourage 3 to be attracted to a certain type of sociopathic men."

Elizabeth gawked at him.

"That quickly wore off however, and she had a long-term relationship with Mr. Spencer, which worked out fine for the cause regardless. Until, Mr. Lansing and 4 had sexual relations. Mrs. Cassadine wouldn't stop laughing when she heard of it knowing that it would hurt her stepdaughter, however, it took a big toll on the cause when 3 and 6 conceived another child as a result of it. That's when we really started pushing the procedures. It backfired when 4 and 6 broke-up and 3 and 6 kept sneaking around. It took almost two years of 4 spiraling partly due to her own emotions but also as an affect of our procedures. Then Mrs. Cassadine decided to stage the death of 3 and 6's child, the only one known to the public. She felt that would severe the ties between them and she'd raise the child for the cause.

"Then, we finally found another Patient 5. Mrs. Cassadine discovered 6's twin brother, Mr. Cain, in the Navy. We physically removed him and brought him to Mexico where 4 and 6 were searching for Patient 1's young ones. 6 had been shot twice and we brought him into a private facility with Mr. Cain. That was where I performed the biggest procedure I had ever done. I completely flushed Mr. Cain's, who was now Patient 5's, mind. He was a blank slate and I transferred all of 6's memories post-car accident into him. Mr. Marchesi shot 5 twice in order not to raise suspicion for 6's shooter when we replaced 6 with 5. This proved successful and 5 posed as 6 for a good four months. In that time, he conceived a child with 4."

Sam gasped and looked over at Drew. Jason furrowed his eyebrows and Alexis' mouth dropped slightly.

"Are you saying that _I_ am Danny's father?" Drew asked.

"Indeed," Dr. Cabot said.

Carly sniggered and shook her head.

"Keep going!" Valentin ordered. "Enough about whose child is whose."

Dr. Cabot cleared his throat. "In that time, we believed to have performed stronger procedures on 6 and exchanged him with 5 once more. We couldn't be more wrong though. He was drawn to 3 once again and even after hypnotizing her to fall for Dr. Ewan Keenan, there was a pull, and he was cold towards 4 during her pregnancy. So, we brought 2 and 3 in once more and we did something new and delicate in order to turn 6 against 3. The procedure would involve 3's decision-making process to closer resemble 2's under stress, thereby making 3 switch the DNA results of 4's baby with the hopes she would get caught. But her true self kicked in and she went right to 6 to confess. This concerned us that our plan had failed. However, 6 was angry with her and it turned out in our favour anyway. 4 and 6 reunited with the child. But you see, Mrs. Cassadine and Mr. Faison had a quarrel. She felt he'd been too focused on other matters. Without further hypnosis, 3 had almost failed their plan. Mr. Faison attempted to kill 6 in order to botch the cause. Mrs. Cassadine and Mr. Marchesi made attempts to recover 6.

"Mrs. Cassadine was shot by Mr. Spencer a year later and I thought it was safe to assume the plan was over. But I heard news that her brother-in-law sought out to revive her along with her son and that 5 was there too. Dr. Scorpio revived them, but on the way home 5 was hit by a car and developed amnesia. When finally, Mrs. Cassadine and Mr. Faison made amends, they sought me out and the plan was back in motion. I was introduced to Henrik, Mr. Faison's son, who had been studying hypnosis at the time. We were concerned when 5 developed a relationship with 3… it was something we weren't expecting. Yet, he had a pull towards 4 who was in a relationship with a doctor at the time. Eventually 2 came along and… _figured out_… that Jake Doe was Mr. Morgan… or at least that's what she thought. The plan seemed to run smoothly when 4 and 5 reunited and we managed to make 3 look bad once again… but 5 seemed to have fallen for 4 which we didn't expect, in a way 6 never did. When young Nikolas poisoned Mrs. Cassadine, I thought our plan would be demised, but Mr. Faison and Mr. Marchesi wanted to follow it through. And young Henrik, who had a close bond with Mrs. Cassadine's stepson Valentin wanted to bring him into the plan and they discovered 6 alive in Russia. We were in a state of panic though when 5 decided to leave the mob and focused his entire being on 4 and their children and started a media company…"

Alexis looked over at Sam. Tears were spilling from her eyes and she was looking over at Drew.

"We went into overdrive with procedures on 6. We really pushed the hypnosis so he would accept orders from 1 and 2. Then, he escaped. We were worried it was too soon. He went right to 1 which worked, however, he wanted to go right to 3 and their second born and was furious when he discovered Franco Baldwin in a relationship with her. We managed to bring them both in as well as 1 and 2. We really pushed the procedures, and it especially seemed to work for 2. She became more controlling than ever and it seemed to progress as time went on. 6 received orders and followed through with them. He seemed to forget about his son and would spend minimal time with him. When 4 chose to stay with 5, we brought 4 in for another procedure. But we were shocked to learn that Mr. Faison had been killed by 6. Henrik then took over the hypnosis. All he had to do was trigger 4's emotions for wanting to feel saved by 6 again. And alas, she and 5 broke up. She eventually reunited with 6 and the cause went full speed ahead."

"And when the twin experiment became public knowledge," Peter said. "It only covered up our plan. Even better, when David Henry Archer had Dr. Cabot transfer Drew's memories to Franco Baldwin… it just distracted everyone more."

"Now, Natasha," Valentin said. "We need to talk about your meddling. All along you've tried keeping 4 and 6 apart and most recently you've kept the children away from the cause as well. And not just your grandchildren, but 2's grandson as well."

"Wiley _is _my grandson," Alexis corrected.

"You liar!" Carly shouted. "Not that I believe all this nonsense but he's right about your meddling!"

"You know, I think it's time now," Valentin said, keeping his eyes locked with Alexis'. "Go ahead, Dr. Cabot."

Dr. Cabot slipped on a pair of latex gloves and reached for a syringe and a small vial from Alexis' bedside table. He pressed the needle into the vial and Alexis watched as a clear liquid flowed into the syringe.

"What is that?" Alexis asked.

"Boss, let me do it," Morgan said.

"1 and 2 are reserved for you, Morgan," Valentin said, pulling on a pair of gloves. Then he extend his hand to Dr. Cabot. "I'll take care of Natasha."

Dr. Cabot handed him the syringe.

"Why not simply release tis beautifool womano into my carrre?" Salvatore suggested.

Ignoring him, Valentin stepped closer to Alexis. Her heart sped up.

"Answer the question!" Sam insisted. "What is that?"

"This…" Valentin grinned. "Is pentobarbital. It is a short-acting barbiturate and when used in high doses it causes death by respiratory arrest."

"_No_!" Sam shouted, pulling and kicking through her restraints. "_Get away from her_!"

Alexis swallowed hard.

"Valentin, let's discuss this," Sonny said.

"Maybe you can use Alexis," Drew said. "Use her instead of killing her."

"Please, don't!" Sam cried.

Valentin's face went tense and his nostrils flared. He lifted the syringe.

Alexis took in a deep breath. "Sam, I never wanted you to move out. I found out things and I was being threatened…"

"I know…" Sam said. "I heard you say you had to keep me safe when you came into my room that night… I knew something was up…"

"Tell Danny, Scout, and Wiley Grandma loves them… And your father, your sisters, your brothers… I love them too…"

"Stop it!" Sam said.

"And I love you…"

Valentin raised the syringe above his head and Alexis squeezed her eyes shut, then he jabbed it hard through her left coat pocket to her chest…

"NOOOO!" Sam yelled.

Alexis opened her eyes. The needle was sticking through the pocket of her spring jacket.

"What the hell!?" Valentin ripped the pocket right off her jacket. The material from the pocket was hanging between the syringe and the rough side of a purple seahorse sponge.

Sam let out a deep breath and Alexis winked at her.

Valentin held the sponge in front of Alexis' face. Some fluid dripped from the sponge"What the hell is this!?"

"That…" Alexis smiled. "That is my special sponge."

"_Special _sponge?" Valentin groaned. "How can a sponge be special?"

"It just saved my life didn't it? Now, if you don't mind… I'd appreciate it if you squeezed out that poison and sanitized it for me. Like I said, it's a very special sponge."

Valentin hurled the sponge and syringe at the wall, and it dropped to the floor.

"I'm afraid that's the last of the pentobarbital," Dr. Cabot said. "I'll have to order some more."

"You know what…" Valentin said. "Maybe 5 is onto something. The better revenge would be to use her instead of kill her."

"Use her, how?" Peter asked.

"You still have her memory map on hand?" Valentin asked Dr. Cabot.

"Whose memory map?" Alexis asked.

Dr. Cabot nodded and pulled out a flash drive from his pocket. "Indeed."

"Then we now have Patient 7," Valentin said. "Do it. Imprint her memory on Natasha."

"Wait… wait…" Sam said. "Imprint someone's memory? What does that mean?"

"It means," Valentin said, grinning. "That her memory will be wiped, and she'll believe she's someone else."

Dr. Cabot began loading up his laptop.

Elizabeth gasped. "Like Franco…"

"And me," Drew said.

Alexis felt her chest sink.

"No! You can't do that!" Sam shouted.

"Who will I think I am?" Alexis asked.

Valentin laughed. "Nothing for you to worry about Natasha."

Dr. Cabot placed a black device around Alexis' head.

"No! No! Please stop! Please…." Sam cried out. "She won't remember me… she won't remember her family…"

Dr. Cabot prepared another syringe.

"I will remember you, Sam…" Alexis said. "I will… they said there was a flaw."

"No…" Sam repeated.

Dr. Cabot pushed the needle into Alexis' IV. Alexis felt her eyes grow heavy as Sam's continued to cry out, "No! Mom… No…". And soon, everything went black.


End file.
